Maggie Comstock, Policy Associate, U.S. Green Building Council

Earlier this month, the World Bank hosted a Smart Cities for All workshop in Washington, D.C., that convened experts from the United Nations, academia, government agencies, non-profits and industry.

The purpose of the workshop was to share insights and experiences of equipping cities with the tools for intelligent growth. Additionally, the forum established a public-private partnership for collaboration in pursuit of shared goals for global sustainability.

But what does it mean to be a “smart city”? Is this distinction only reserved for cities starting from scratch? Can an established city boost its IQ?