Ideas generated via this online platform are now making their way into the real world, as a new planned city in Portugal called PlanIT Valley will be built entirely on ideas generated through the City 2.0 platform. Located near Porto the city will house up to 225,000 inhabitants by 2015. The idea here is that when you start with a blank canvas rather than an organically growing city, with its various demands - you can build the innovation in from the ground floor, avoiding the urban planning mistakes of yesteryear.

A collaboration between a company called Living PlanIt and the Portuguese government, the planned city will make extensive use of smart sensors. These sensors will work together to combine intelligent buildings with connected vehicles, providing the citizens of PlanIt Valley with an unprecedented level of info about their built environment. The key word here is efficiency - from optimum control of peak electricity demand to adapted traffic management, to real-time information about open parking places in the vicinity of your next appointment. These sensors will even be able to adjust the timing of traffic lights when emergency vehicles need to get through.

The finished city is intended to serve as both a living laboratory for partner companies and an incubator for tech start-ups. Companies will be able to use PlanIt Valley to investigate collaborative potentials with Living PlanIt, then replicate that approach in other locations.