Guest Blogger Hannah H.
Smart cities have been revolutionizing urban living across the globe. The U.S. currently represents over a third of the global smart city market alone. The idea of a smart city refers to more than just technological innovations to infrastructure. A smart city also represents how residents interact with their communities and local governments.
Morrisville, North Carolina is a prime example. This growing community near Research Triangle Park has embraced smart city solutions that improve daily life for its residents. Morrisville's approach demonstrates how technology can strengthen community connections, drive economic development, and make government services more accessible and responsive.
This article explores Morrisville's ongoing smart city journey through the evolution of its application, which won a Smart 50 Award in 2023. Discover how this diverse city continues to innovate and what exciting developments lie ahead for this tech-forward community.
Three years ago, Lithios began working with the city of Morrisville, North Carolina to develop a new mobile application. What started as an ambitious undertaking to address resident frustrations with information accessibility has evolved into an award-winning smart city solution.
The collaboration aimed to transform how Morrisville delivers information and services to its growing population, expanding from just 5,000 residents in 2000 to over 31,700 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Before partnering with Lithios, Morrisville's mobile app was essentially a clone of their website, with numerous sub-sites that left residents feeling lost and frustrated. The town needed a solution that would centralize information and enhance resident engagement.
Working closely with Billy Whitehead, Morrisville's Smart City Program Manager, Lithios designed a platform that integrated with existing town systems through APIs and IoT dashboards.
The result was Morrisville Central: a user-friendly app that gives residents one-click access to town resources, events, and services.
Over the past year, Morrisville Central has undergone significant advancements. It currently has 1,116 installations and generated over 51,000 interactions in 2024 alone. Surprisingly, the app's reach extends far beyond North Carolina's borders. Users from 34 different countries have downloaded Morrisville Central in 2024, with the top five countries being the US, India, South Korea, Colombia, and Mexico.
This global interest may stem from Morrisville Central winning a Smart 50 Award in 2023, an international recognition that spotlights innovative smart city solutions worldwide. The award placed Morrisville alongside major metropolitan areas in showcasing how technology can transform community engagement.
A notable addition to the app over the past year includes the custom Smart City Dashboard interface, allowing residents to personalize their experience. The dashboard enables users to monitor specific town amenities that matter most to them, from electric car chargers to pickleball courts, park fields, and even gates that close parks.
"One of the primary goals of our program is to ensure it benefits everyone—from residents with busy lifestyles to those enjoying retirement," says Whitehead.
Another notable enhancement is the integration of CitiBot, a GenAI-powered solution that helps to address the challenge of information accessibility.
"A common concern heard from residents and Town officials is the challenge of finding specific information on our Town website due to the overwhelming volume of data," says Whitehead.
CitiBot now serves both the town website and Morrisville Central app. It’s able to analyze and deliver accurate information to residents without flooding them with links or increasing the workload for town officials. CitiBot also utilizes Google Translate, allowing residents to communicate in a vast number of different languages.
“We are very excited for CitiBot to enable our residents to get town information quickly and in a way they understand,” continues Whitehead.
Looking ahead, Morrisville Central plans to expand its role from an information hub to a vibrant community platform. The hope is that the app will serve as a place for residents to share their opinions with the town, and eventually connect residents with local businesses through a gamification system.
The town plans to collaborate with their Small Business program to develop this gamification vision, creating a system that benefits both residents and local entrepreneurs. In this way, gamification elements can help encourage deeper resident engagement, while also fostering community connections and economic growth.
"Further driving engagement in Morrisville Central while working with local businesses has a big appeal for us," says Whitehead.
Ultimately, the town has learned important lessons along the way. Much of its success relied on creating open platforms that all departments can use, implementing smart data storage policies, and ensuring smooth integration between systems. Breaking down traditional information silos has allowed Morrisville to harness available data more effectively, improving resident services while maintaining transparency.
Perhaps most tellingly, Whitehead notes how resident perceptions have shifted as they've experienced the benefits of these smart city initiatives: "Once (residents) become invested in the benefits you are able to provide, the conversations change from why to what's next."
Morrisville’s smart city journey through the development of its app reveals the impact tech can have when implemented with residents’ needs. Morrisville Central connects residents with the community in meaningful ways, serving as a model for municipalities worldwide.
The integration of CitiBot demonstrates how AI can enhance accessibility without overwhelming users with information. This innovation, alongside future gamification features to connect residents with local businesses, shows how smart cities can serve community members and support economic growth.
Ultimately, Morrisville’s technology is bringing the community closer together and building a foundation for sustainable growth. And that’s the true measure of a smart city’s success.
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