WHAT EXACTLY IS A SMART CITY?
At first, the word “smart city” applies to projects that use digital and technology innovation to enhance municipal services quality and build new economic prospects in communities.
A smart city is a trending global concept that incorporates Information and Communication Technologies with disruptive innovations to develop a self-sustainable environment and solve current urbanization challenges while preparing for the future.
With the current explosion of innovative city projects in the UK and globally, more focus needs to be paid to ensure smart cities’ gains and costs are distributed evenly across all sectors of the economy.
THE CONCEPT OF SMART CITY
While the digital revolution provides an unparalleled window of opportunity to transform millions of city residents’ lives, no assurance emerging technology’s exponential adoption can favor people universally. Innovative city strategies must be created, crafted, introduced, and tracked as a tool to enhance people’s well-being.
This concept of a smart city revolves around three(3) key drivers, which are:
- economic development,
- environmental pollution and
- sustainability
WHY IS IT ESSENTIAL TO CREATE SMART CITIES?
Smart City and Technology are interwoven; they are two sides of the same coin. In this era, you can’t talk of technology without talking of a Smart City because it is the future of humans and technology interaction. Cities need to prepare for the advanced digital age. This starts with data integration and innovative technologies to enhance human mobility, human efficiencies, personal growth, economic prosperity, and improved quality of life of residents living and working in the City.
Essentially intelligent innovations will be experienced in the following areas:
- Improved citizen and government participation by more accurate, data-driven decision-making
- conducive and safer City
- Reduced environmental effects
- Transportation upgrades
- Enhanced digital integration
- New prospects for sustainable growth
- Effective Public services
SMART CITY COMPONENTS IMPLEMENTED IN SMART CITIES
IoT integration is an essential component in Smart city architecture, an intelligent network of connected devices and machines that transfer data through wireless technologies. Cloud communication is also an integral component in achieving a smart city.
THE FACTORS AND CAUSES IN DEVELOPING A SMART CITY
The factors hindering Smart City’s implementation are many; however, the human population is a driving force behind the conception of a smart and sustainable city. According to research, the global population stands at 7.9 billion as of March 2021 (Worldometers.info). This has called for a new way of thinking in other for the world not to outgrown itself.
Below are the current factors affecting the Smart city implementation:
- Current infrastructures like electricity, water, and transportation system
- High 5G Internet Coverage and capacity concerns
- Digital safety and security
- Citizens’ lack of faith or hesitation
- Policies and regulation
- Financial strength for implementation
- Lack of willpower
- Compatibility
CITIES ADOPTING SMART CITY CONCEPTS
The global world has experienced a surge in smart city technology. Smart cities are gaining popularity across both the Developed World and the Developing World. Different developing countries and developed nations are buying into the idea of disruptive technologies that positively impact human life. Adopting innovations that will shape the residence and communities with an improved living conditions is the concept behind smart cities. Energy distribution, streamline paying collections, trash collection, waste services, decrease traffic congestion, reducing C02 emission, proactiveness again airborne virus, and even improve air quality with help from the internet of things and more are encompassed in a smart city.
Smart cities are gaining popularity across both the G8 nations. For example, North America is one of the leading continents implementing smart city initiative, and according to BBC research, investments in smart city technology in North America is estimated to reach a record high of US$244.5 billion by the end of 2021. (BBC). France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom also followed suit.
The leading developing countries consisting of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa are moving towards the direction as China has taken a huge step in achieving a smart city. According to an authoritative online statistics platform, it was predicted that by the year 2023, China would have invested approximately 38.9 billion US dollars in smart-city technologies. (Statista.com).
The United Kingdom is way ahead in implementing as many UK cities are brimming with innovative city initiatives. City Councils are racing to expand facilities and develop new possibilities by embracing innovative technology.
EMERGING TRENDS
- Now Cities are laying the groundwork for technology disruption to replace front-line facilities by bridging the gap between smart city programs and strategic city priorities
- Expanding the partner ecosystems
- Supporting the emergence of city platforms
- Strengthening regional perspectives
- Developing more integrated approaches to city issues a smart city vision
CONCLUSION
No doubt, the future looks bright with the smart City in it. CitySmarter provides just that capacity to proffer real-life solutions to global challenges by designing and integrating mobility analytics systems, machine vision, AI, geospatial intelligence, satellite imagery, and other proprietary technologies to create the smartest of smart cities.