A new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) think tank argues that local governments need to balance the interests of innovation and privacy when adopting new smart-cities technologies.

The City of Los Angeles Information Technology Agency (ITA) introduced the SmartLA 2028 strategy, a concise summary of their vision, approach to being a Smart City, and roadmap to accomplish said vision by 2028.

A team of academics and experts published a July 10 blueprint that acts as a template to help communities become “smart cities” by adopting a secure hybrid cloud architecture.

Over the next 20 years, cities around the world will invest roughly $41 trillion to upgrade their infrastructure to benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT), according to the Smart America Challenge forecast. However, money doesn’t grow on trees and not all smart city projects have the same RoI–so cities need to make sure they invest wisely.

Through its Smart Cities initiative, AT&T approached cities and counties offering smart lighting, transportation, and public safety services. Miami-Dade County, Fla., is the only place that will be piloting all of AT&T’s technologies at once.

Over the next year, the city of San Antonio will deploy sensors that monitor both foot traffic and vehicle traffic. In late January, Mayor Ivy Taylor announced that her city was selected for the Envision America smart city initiative, which helps cities develop major Internet of Things projects.

In the near future, 8,000 new residents of Treasure Island, Calif., will travel around the island in buses that drive themselves, according to plans outlined by the city of San Francisco. The project will be funded through a U. S. Department of Transportation award for smart city projects.

The City of Milwaukee is creating a detailed smart city plan after deploying several smaller Internet of Things initiatives over the last couple of years.

Columbus, Ohio, is the winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DoT) Smart City Challenge and will receive $140 million in new investment to further its initiative.