Arizona State University’s Sustainable City Solutions

The Zimin Institute was founded with the generous support of the philanthropic Zimin Foundation, established by scientist and businessman Dr. Dmitry Borisovich Zimin and his son Boris Zimin. The foundation’s flagship initiative includes several institutes worldwide, with ASU hosting the first and only US-based institute. 

“They were looking to support scientific solutions with real-life impact,” says Gregory Raupp, Foundation Professor and Director of the Zimin Institute. “Science is the foundation, but impact comes from getting those ideas out into the real world.”

The traditional concept of smart cities envisioned urban areas as “self-aware” systems monitored by centralised technologies making intelligent decisions. “The original thinking was a city that had everything sensed and some central intelligence making decisions to make it a better place to live,” Gregory says.

However, the Zimin Institute's approach evolved towards being more citizen-centric, focusing on the lived experience of residents where technology enhances daily life without being intrusive. “We want to create solutions that are seamless, where the inhabitants don’t really know the technology is there – it just makes life safer, healthier and more sustainable,” Gregory explains.

“We want to get lab technologies out into the real world, making cities better places to live and work.”

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