Smart City – Sustainability for Everyone

Smart City

While the exact definition varies depending on whom you ask, the primary mission of a Smart City is to optimize the city’s functions and drive economic growth while improving the quality of life for its residents through the use of smart technology and data analytics. The definition itself isn’t new, since even before this “cool” idea emerged, there were already sustainable cities, livable cities, healthy cities, safe cities, bioclimatic cities, green cities… and so on.

Characteristics of a Smart City or Smart City Technologies

Emerging trends, such as automation, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT), are driving the adoption of smart city initiatives. In theory, any area of city administration can be incorporated into a smart city initiative. In the field of transportation, smart traffic management is used to monitor and analyze traffic flows to optimize traffic lights and prevent road congestion based on the time of day or peak hours. Smart public transportation is another facet of smart cities, used to ensure that it meets user demand. Smart transit companies can coordinate services and meet passenger needs in real time, improving efficiency and rider satisfaction. Bike-sharing is also a common service in a smart city. Energy conservation and efficiency are key focuses of smart cities. Using smart sensors, smart streetlights dim when there are no cars or pedestrians on the roads. Smart grid technology can be used to improve operations, maintenance, and planning, as well as to provide on-demand power and monitor power outages. Smart city initiatives also aim to monitor and address environmental concerns, such as climate change and air pollution. Smart city technology is increasingly used to improve public safety, from monitoring high-crime areas to enhancing emergency preparedness with sensors. For example, smart sensors can be critical components of an early-warning system for droughts, floods, landslides, or hurricanes. Smart buildings are also often part of a smart city project. Older infrastructure can be retrofitted with smart technology, and new buildings constructed with sensors not only provide real-time space management and ensure public safety but also monitor the structural health of the buildings. Connecting sensors to buildings and other structures can detect wear and tear and notify officials when repairs are needed. Citizens can assist in this effort by notifying officials through a smart city app when repairs are needed on buildings and public infrastructure, such as potholes. Sensors can also be used to detect leaks in the water network and other piping systems, which helps reduce costs and improve the efficiency of public workers. In addition, smart city technologies bring efficiencies to urban manufacturing and urban agriculture, including job creation, energy efficiency, space management, and fresher products for consumers.

Smart Cities Promote Sustainability

Sustainability is another important aspect of smart cities. Urbanization is expected to increase even further in the coming years. Smart technology will help cities sustain growth and improve efficiency for the well-being of citizens and the efficiency of government in urban areas in the coming years. Water meters and manhole covers are just a few of the other city components monitored by smart sensors. Free and/or publicly available Wi-Fi is another benefit of smart cities.

The concept of a smart city

Boyd developed a set of indicators to support the comparative evaluation of smart cities. Digital cities can be identified (or categorized) across six dimensions: • Digital economy • Digital mobility • Digital ecosystem • Digital citizenship • Digital life • Digital governance

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