Chicago lab begins urban infrastructure project

CHICAGO (AP) - A public-private research laboratory in Chicago plans to develop and test solutions to urban infrastructure problems it hopes can be used around the world.

UI Labs said Monday that its new CityWorks program will focus on energy management, water and sanitation systems, transportation and logistical systems and the rest of a city's urban infrastructure.

UI Labs Executive Director Caralynn Nowinski said in a news release that goal is to use Chicago as a test market. She said the project plans to develop ideas in Chicago that can be commercialized and put to work elsewhere.

UI Labs is a project intended to link the University of Illinois, the city of Chicago, the state's government and major companies such as Microsoft and Accenture. The companies are involved in the CityWorks project.