The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has partnered with the Smart Cities Council (SCC) to conduct a first-ever national research study in the United States.

They will jointly conduct a survey among 3,428 communities in April and the results will be made available in August.

ICMA is second only to the federal government in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of research focused on issues related to local government management.

As producer of the internationally recognized Smart Cities Readiness Guide and Smart Cities Week, which attracts thousands of stakeholders to Washington, D.C. each year, SCC will assist ICMA members and other local government employees and stakeholders in better understanding how communities use smart technology to enhance their liveability, workability, and sustainability.

“Infrastructure improvement and development and community sustainability are priorities for local governments and the ICMA members who lead them, so teaming up with the Smart Cities Council right now makes perfect sense,” said Robert J. O’Neill, Jr., executive director of ICMA.

The survey will be administered to chief administrative officers in US local governments with populations of 25,000 or greater in April 2016 and will close by August 2016.