How Smart City Projects Affect Commercial Construction Permits

As technology advances, city planners design systems that work together, creating what are being called “smart cities.”

Transportation, sanitation, residential, commercial and more all working together in harmony to ease processes for a community’s residents.

Smart cities are urban areas that rely upon communication and data to enhance residential quality of life, improve infrastructure and promote sustainability.

They are sectors where community development priorities and government policies merge with information, technology, innovative design and construction processes to connect people to services - and just as importantly, services to where people gather.

Airports, energy projects and traffic control systems have been early testing grounds for smart city technology, but the concept is growing in popularity and beginning to impact a wider variety of projects.

As commercial construction projects increase technology integration into design plans, municipal regulations will reflect the high-performance and energy-efficient effects these offer. Municipalities especially will look to balance cost and sustainability as they improve how pieces fit together within city planning.

And the permit process will adapt with it. Most cities and counties already have electronic filing to expedite procedures for those familiar with the system. Along with traditional commercial building permits such as building use, HVAC, stormwater and signage, business owners can expect questions about how particular buildings fit into the overall smart city plan in terms of technology, interconnectivity and public health.

According to “A Building Permit System for Smart Cities: A Cloud-based Framework,” by Eirinaki, et al, “smart city services should be user-centric, ubiquitous, and highly integrated from the end user’s perspective, while being highly interconnected, cost-efficient, and energy-efficient from the point of view of the administrators.”

These regulations are not yet written for most areas, but they are coming soon. Eirinaki posits that business logic will fuel recommendation engines where cities know better what they want ahead of time.

In New York City, for example, city officials use exploratory data analysis as the first step in big data analytics workflow to provide the public a more user-friendly interface. Philadelphia, meanwhile, recently launched its Permit Navigator to ease the permitting process there.

These are baby steps, though with the pace of technological advancement, it won’t be long before a smarter system is up and running.

Eventually, smart city projects will significantly influence commercial construction permits in several ways, including:

• Regulations and standards. Expect stricter regulations and higher standards for sustainability and energy efficiency. Commercial construction projects must adhere to new guidelines that prioritize green building practices and the integration of smart technologies.
• Technology. Increased adoption of building information modeling and virtual design and construction. These tools provide detailed and accurate project plans, which can expedite approvals.
• Infrastructure. Commercial buildings must align with advanced infrastructure, such as smart grids and Internet-of-Things-enabled systems. This impacts which permits are required and the approval process.
• Coordination. Smart city projects require a higher level of collaboration between stakeholders, including city planners, construction companies and technology providers to work together toward common goals.
• Validity. The complexity and scale of smart city projects may need more time to accommodate the projects, so expect expiration dates to extend.

Smart city projects are fast-changing in the commercial construction industry. Working with a permitting service offers financial benefits and peace of mind when navigating these evolving regulations. With services in 48 states and parts of Canada, Express Permits has the experience you are looking for in a commercial permit expeditor. Call us at (877) 898-9988, email us at sales@expresspermits.net with any questions or fill out our contact form to get the ball rolling.