To the stadium by air taxi

Three years, three events that will draw the attention of millions to the city and bring hundreds of thousands of tourists: Los Angeles will be one of the hosts of the World Cup next year, the Super Bowl will take place there the following year, and the Summer Olympics will be held there in 2028. Ted Ross talked about how to prepare for these three huge challenges as a smart city in his keynote speech ‘Building a “smarter” Los Angeles towards 2028 Olympics & beyond’. Ross is CIO of the City of Los Angeles and, as General Manager of the Information Technology Agency, responsible for the city's IT services.

‘When you think of L.A., you think of great weather, beaches, Hollywood stars. But we also have a lot of traffic, terrible forest fires, homelessness – big challenges,’ said Ross. Technical innovations are the solution, he said. "Sensors and data give us the knowledge we need about what is happening in our city. And they also enable us to actively influence what happens. For example, when we can divert traffic and thus prevent people from driving directly into the fire zones."

Especially in view of the three major events, the key question is: How can life in L.A. be improved for residents, entrepreneurs and tourists alike? Ross had a few innovative examples to share. The number one priority is mobility. ‘In 2026, we will launch our LAX Automated People Mover, an autonomous, fully electric train that will transport passengers and staff between terminals, car parks and the regional public transport system at Los Angeles International Airport,’ explains Ross.

VR training for de-escalation

For the 2028 Summer Olympics, VIPs, athletes and visitors will even be transported between venues by eVTOL air taxis. ‘The air taxis can carry up to four passengers and stay in the air for around 20 minutes,’ says the CIO. They are particularly low in emissions and noise.

Public safety is also an important issue. Innovative technologies are being used, for example, in training for police officers. ‘Police officers can use VR glasses to complete de-escalation training and thus practise critical situations without having to experience them in real life,’ said Ross. How the city presents itself is also important. Residents can use the MyLA311 app to report litter and pollution and request that graffiti be removed, for example. ‘We have three million requests per year.’

Being a smart city is a journey that never ends, said Ross: ‘We're not concerned with being the first, but with having test laboratories. Others should learn from our successes, but also from our failures.’ They always wanted to improve – and had long since planned beyond 2028.