International local government news 16.10.24

Here are the latest newsworthy and interesting stories from the local government sector that caught our attention. In this round-up of what’s happening right now in the world of local government, you’ll find best practices, inspiration, and more from across the sector.

GERMANY: Frankfurt sees success with low-emissions logistics trial
The City of Frankfurt has wrapped up a four-week package delivery trial, which has reportedly seen success in curbing emissions and congestion. The trial saw packages delivered via trams and cargo bikes, resulting in an effective reduction in local CO2 emissions by 57%. The scheme was backed by city authorities, the city transport company, and a local university. Notably, some 600 packages could fit in each tram, although planners did report some challenges, like long wait times and operational efficiency, remain.
Frankfurter Rundschau

USA: Austin using AI in building permit automation 
The City of Austin, Texas has signed a five-year contract to deploy an AI-powered platform to automate the building permit process. Following a three-month pilot of the scheme, an initial roll-out will be dedicated to single-family residential properties, with plans down the line to expand to other review forms. The city is also working on a second pilot with the same company, focusing instead on automating compliance review of the International Building Code.
SmartCitiesWorld

INDIA: How a state went totally organic
With a slow and considered approach, the Indian state of Sikkim has fundamentally changed how it grows its food. Its journey to 100% organic food production has been a long one; in 2003, the state gave itself a full decade to begin its transition. The sparsely populated state is naturally suited to using vermicompost and organic manure, as delivery of fertiliser is difficult due to its mountainous terrain. The state then launched an action plan in 2004, with a subsidy on chemical fertiliser introduced (it was fully banned in 2014), before developing 100 model villages to demonstrate how fully organic farming could work in practice.
Reasons to be cheerful

GERMANY: Smaller towns could receive their own license plates
In a bid to help enhance local identity and self promotion, towns across Germany may soon receive their own license plates. 320 medium-sized German cities, with populations of over 20,000 have not benefitted from 2012 updates to regional license plates, but under new proposals these places could receive their own abbreviation. The idea has received the support of various mayors across smaller urban municipalities.
Tagesschau

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