Kansas City Mayor Sly James recently announced that Cisco Systems Inc. will transform Downtown Kansas City into a “smart city.”

Cisco officials and Kansas City representatives signed a letter of intent to develop high-tech projects to address and solve a variety of municipal issues in Downtown.

In a press release, James said, “Cisco’s investment is further proof that Kansas City is at the forefront of technological advancement. This joint effort will connect our visitors and residents with our city’s services and information like never before. In addition, entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to build their own unique, innovative applications to enhance the public’s experience. Put simply, this is a win-win for everyone and furthers our efforts to be the most entrepreneurial city in the nation.”

The final projects and partners will be announced by the end of June. Think Big Partners, LLC will help manage the effort by creating a lab allowing the startup community to address public safety, infrastructure maintenance, urban sustainability and community engagement by building and testing technologies. The private-public effort will test Cisco’s abilities in smart lighting, interactive digital kiosks, high-definition security video and other high-tech solutions to help Downtown residents.