A formal institute for smart cities has been launched by the US Conference of Mayors (USCM), during its Winter Meeting in Washington DC.

Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin, revealed it will help engage mayors around the three I's: innovation, infrastructure and inclusion. One of the goals of the institute is to allow mayors to define their needs from a smart city.

"This is usually defined by vendors but in this space, mayors come together to define their priorities," said Neil Kleiman, a professor at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, who has been one of the founders of the new group.

Mayors can bring their challenges to the closed meetings and one of the goals is help them find a clear path forward for their initiatives and to then connect mayors with effective solution providers.