The City of Mableton announced in a press release that Mableton will receive a 2026 Smart 20 Award on March 10.

According to the website for the awards, “The Smart 20 Awards annually recognize global smart cities projects, honoring the most innovative and influential work. We will designate three winners from the overall awardee pool at the awards reception.” The awards will be given at the Spring Smart Cities Connect conference in Raleigh, N.C.

According to the release, Mableton was selected for its initiative: “Zero to 80,000: Building America’s First 100% Cloud-Native Municipal Infrastructure.”

According to the press release:

Mableton joins an elite list of winners including major hubs like Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Instead of investing in “legacy” systems—expensive, bulky hardware kept in onsite server rooms—Mableton bypassed traditional equipment entirely. It used cloud-based technology to build a modern digital city hall in just six months following its incorporation. Mableton is the first U.S. city with a 100% Cloud-Native setup for its system.

Mableton states that the Zero to 80,000 initiative will mean better service, lower costs, and taxpayer savings by replacing brick and mortar IT infrastructure with cloud-based services.

The system was designed by Mayor Michael Owens, (whose “day job” is as an IT executive), and Mableton’s IT Security Risk Department.

“In Mableton, we believe that a modern city doesn’t need a server room to be secure and efficient,” said Mayor Michael Owens, quoted in the press release.“We chose to invest taxpayer dollars in our community rather than in depreciating metal and wires. This award validates our vision of a ‘City-in-a-Box’ that can be a blueprint for every municipality in the country.”

Mableton is also a finalist for the “Grand Challenge” title, awarded to the top three overall projects.

You can find a list of other cities receiving the Smart20 Award by visiting https://spring.smartcitiesconnect.org/Smart20Awards/