The Economist just published a special report on smart systems, which focuses on sensors penetrating all objects and  their potential applications. According to the report, the proliferation of connected sensors and cameras, and of ubiquitous wireless networks, leads to a state that there is a virtual component to every physical object, like a mirror image of everything.

High-speed broadband has become a phenomenon of densely-populated Asian cities, which now account for 74 of the top 100 global cities offering fast connections according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet report. Once again, Masan, South Korea held the title as the city with the fastest average connection speed.

Parramatta, an Australian city, 23 km west of Sydney, is on the way to becoming a showcase city for the integration of digital services into community life in that country. The ParraConnect initiative will help businesses, community groups, government stakeholders and residents capitalise on the growth of emerging connective technologies.

IBM has launched the CityOne, an on-line game that can help city leaders, businesses, and students figure out how to make cities work better by simulating transportation, environmental, business and logistical problems. The game is part of the Big Blue’ s broader “Smarter Planet’ initiative.

Leptos Group, a leading property developer in Cyprus, announced the start of a Smart Eco City project . The project is an integrated urban mixed-use scheme located on a 1.1 million square meter site in Pafos, Cyprus

The planned city in Paredes, Portugal, aims to be an environmentally sustainable city. Although it has similarities with other eco-cities, this one will have a brain, just like a living organism: a central computer that regulates everything from its water use to energy consumption.