In the pursuit of smarter, more sustainable infrastructure, local governments often face a common dilemma: how to embrace innovation without overwhelming their legacy systems, budgets, or staff. This paper shares key insights from a collaborative project led by the Western Sydney Planning Partnership, assessing the financial costs and benefits of adopting Smart Infrastructure (SI) across two councils—Blacktown City and Blue Mountains City—focusing on stormwater inspections and sports field irrigation.
Through a structured cost-benefit analysis, the project found that fit-for-purpose smart technologies—such as machine learning (ML)-assisted CCTV inspections and commercial off-the-shelf smart irrigation systems—can deliver clear operational and financial value. These solutions were not the most advanced available, but they were the most effective in context. Blacktown City Council implemented operational improvements using ML-assisted CCTV inspections for stormwater assets, increasing inspection efficiencies and delivering clear net operational savings compared to traditional methods. Blue Mountains City Council undertook capital improvements by installing commercial smart irrigation systems, delivering a benefit-cost ratio greater than 1 and an estimated discounted payback period of less than 3 to 5 years, along with strong sustainability outcomes.
The project also highlighted the importance of matching SI adoption to organisational maturity, and the potential for regional collaboration—particularly in stormwater asset inspections—where coordinated procurement and standardised approaches across councils could unlock further cost savings and efficiencies.
Rather than advocating for a one-size-fits-all approach or bleeding-edge technology, this paper makes the case for ‘smart enough’—demonstrating how strategic, scalable SI adoption can help councils shape tomorrow’s infrastructure in practical and sustainable ways.