Collaborations with technology firms and a prominent research university are aiding Peachtree Corners, Georgia, in investigating smart city projects through cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins.This city, with a population of 42,000, maintains a long-standing partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) to advance its “Atrium” initiative at the city-owned Curiosity Lab innovation center. This initiative places the university alongside tech startups and various other efforts to enhance smart city applications. The inaugural Atrium, which launched late last month, will serve as a research facility, technology incubator, and workspace, allowing students to engage with next-generation technology projects. More Atriums are planned for locations across the U.S. and globally.
“We have learners and research and development initiatives globally, and the Atria will help strengthen those networks,” stated Dr. Stephen Harmon, executive director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Tech. The Center, part of Georgia Tech’s new College of Lifetime Learning, is described as a “living laboratory” that fosters tech innovation and offers online courses for both credit and non-credit students. (The Center refers to its students as “learners.”)
According to Harmon, the site will be used to evaluate Atrium offerings.
“It is strategically located far enough from our Atlanta campus so that it is distinct, yet close enough to allow us easy access to create and test new products and services,” he explained.
The city is also collaborating with BizzTech to develop a digital twin of its downtown area, which will offer a photorealistic representation of its operations. This digital twin will provide “machine learning models a safe environment to train on high-fidelity traffic scenarios before they interact with real drivers,” said Brian Johnson, city manager of Peachtree Corners, via email. He added that the city’s long-term objective is to facilitate quicker, intelligent decision-making, especially in public safety and urban planning, while keeping expenses low.
Digital twin technology enables cities to assess infrastructure concepts, investigate new mobility solutions, and even train AI systems. Peachtree Corners plans to utilize BizzTech’s metaverse technology to practice incident response protocols, enhance traffic signal timing, and model the proposed expansion of autonomous vehicle corridors prior to the deployment of these vehicles, according to the city manager.
“Digital twin technology has provided cities with the chance to optimize decision-making as they continue to adapt and evolve in real time,” he stated.
Peachtree Corners is also partnering with NVIDIA to implement edge AI technology, which will further enrich its smart city ecosystem, supporting advancements in intelligent transportation systems, curb management, and other aspects of “smart mobility.” These systems will be backed by the city’s ultra-low latency 5G network, enabling algorithms to “respond to sensor data in milliseconds — crucial for applications such as automatic pedestrian detection, adaptive signal control, and real-time curb pricing,” Johnson noted.
The ongoing developments uphold the city’s legacy of creating, testing, and deploying urban technology, which dates back to the late 1960s when the area was home to the business development Technology Park Atlanta.
“We regard technology as fundamental infrastructure,” Johnson emphasized, highlighting the use of sensor data for optimizing traffic signal timing, object-detection cameras linked to crosswalks, and smart lighting systems that provide public Wi-Fi and incorporate AI.
“These initiatives are already minimizing idle emissions, directing marshals to incidents within seconds, and illuminating public spaces as our population grows,” Johnson added.
