As life in cities worldwide becomes more hectic and more expensive, urban designers are resorting to modern technology to help citizens avoid traffic snarls, and shorten the time needed for shopping and other errands. Technology also is used to cut costly waste.

Santander is a port on the Northern Atlantic coast of Spain that spreads along a bay. Parking is easy to find. As one car drives away, an underground sensor registers that a parking space is now free. Four hundred sensors send messages to signs at street intersections, and GPS devices direct drivers to the nearest available parking spaces, reducing traffic congestion. A smartphone app makes the payment easy and eliminates the problem of finding coins to feed the meter.

Most Santander businesses use scannable barcodes in their windows to save their customers time.

"When we are closed, they can find out about our opening hours, our products and where our other shops are. They can also learn about any sales and special offers we have," said Angel Benito, owner of a shoe-store chain.

In Santander, trash is collected only when the bins are full and bus stop signs show exactly when the next bus is coming. The public parks are watered only when the soil gets dry.

All this is made possible by 20,000 sensors installed on buildings, street posts and even buses. They are part of the "smart city" project, launched by the University of Cantabria seven years ago. University researchers like Luis Muñoz regularly meet with locals to discuss how to make their city even smarter.

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