Construction is in full swing at the Luddenham site of the upcoming Sydney Science Park, Australia's first smart city project being developed by property group Celestino in Western Sydney.

The smart city will have a major focus on research and development as well as commercialisation of autonomous vehicles.

With this in mind, Celestino along with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) recently met with transport and infrastructure experts to discuss how autonomous vehicle use could be built into greenfield smart cities, providing a convenient mobility solution.

The $5 billion Sydney Science Park project is coming up on a 280-hectare rural site along the route of the proposed South West Rail Link.

The greenfield project aims to deliver a world-class centre of innovation for scientific research and development in various fields, as well as a fully integrated community for more than 100,000 people.

As Australia’s first ‘smart city’, the Sydney Science Park will host science and technology companies and education institutes including a new STEM school among others.

Located about eight kilometres from Penrith, the Luddenham site is owned by Celestino.

Celestino chief executive John Vassallo explains that they intend to turn the Sydney Science Park into an internationally recognised epicentre for autonomous vehicles R&D, having received considerable interest from leading autonomous transport innovators in Australia.

Image credit: Celestino