Smart Cities of the Future – Building Resilience And Inclusivity
Smart cities solve many of the more significant problems our world faces today. These cities offer residents safer, more sustainable ways of life. These future communities are creating opportunities and availability of vital resources to people they wouldn’t have anywhere else.
Smart cities of the future require building resilience and inclusivity to remain sustainable and maintainable for many years to come.
The inclusivity of these smart cities promotes community engagement, creating a healthier, more affordable, and environmentally-friendly ecosystem.
Technology for Smart Cities
Technology today allows countries worldwide to develop more sustainable cities, promoting economic growth by reducing the effects of global warming and eliminating poverty.
Without new and highly innovative smart city technology, our world would continue to see displaced families, increased carbon emissions, a lack of vital resources, and so much more.
To build future smart cities, we need advanced technological devices to maintain entire ecosystems and monitor, operate, and evolve with little human interference.
Smart City Technologies To Watch For
There are tons of devices used today that will play a crucial role in smart city planning and support. The two main products bringing resilience and inclusiveness to these communities are the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Internet of Things (IoT): This technological system uses smart sensors to connect objects or “things” to an extensive network of devices through the internet. This creates a massive remote control for the world around you.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): This is the advancement of machines and computers coming together to work, function, and even think without human intervention.
The ability to control the world around you at the push of a button or to see real-time information simply by pulling out your phone will design an inclusive community where everyone is connected and interactive.
Sustainability for Smart Cities
A sustainable smart city meets the residents’, businesses’, and government’s social, economic, and environmental needs. This comes in the way of information technology, where data, videos, smart grids, etc., can be shared quickly and efficiently.
Renewable Energy Sources
Renewable energy sources are vital to creating a resilient smart city. Future cities must be able to create their own energy without standard electrical assistance. This includes wind and solar power.
- Solar energy: Energy radiated by the sun effectively creates enough power to produce energy for an entire city.
- Wind energy: Windmills or turbines harness kinetic energy created by wind power to produce energy for large areas.
Sustainable Building Design and Construction
Sustainable building designs are necessary for smart cities of the future to grow and maintain a positive, prosperous, and resilient city. This comes in the form of various sustainable smart solutions such as:
- Smart heating and cooling systems: Heating and cooling systems are controlled automatically to reduce unnecessary consumption.
- Natural building materials, green panels, and solar roofs provide efficient construction with electricity that is naturally powered.
- Enhanced insulation and ventilation: Increased insulation and ventilation can reduce energy needs.
Community Engagement for Smart Cities
Community engagement in future cities allows urban residents to feel included and give them a sense of belonging. This inclusion enhances community productivity and keeps cities moving forward.
Community Engagement Activities in Smart Cities
Implementing community-driven outreach activities can ensure smart cities of the future are resilient and can continue thriving. Allowing residents to aid in major decision-making processes and offering programs and tools to ensure growth can benefit the future urban environment.
- Community-driven decision-making processes: Using technological devices, communities have easy access to information. They can participate in things such as monitoring mass information, making financial decisions, city government transparency, distribution of funds, etc.
- Community outreach and education programs: These programs provide urban areas programs and free resources for education and information. This opportunity creates diversification, inclusivity, and community.
Inclusivity for Smart Cities
Providing smart technology, tools, and accessibility to the community offers all residents a sense of belonging and makes a more resilient future city. There are many practices these communities can implement to ensure they are inclusive to everyone.
Inclusive Practices for Smart Cities
There are a number of inclusive practices future cities can offer every citizen to ensure they are a diverse and unified community.
- Accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities: Ensuring access to all infrastructures can include congenital, hearing, and mobility aids.
- Multilingual communication and services: Screen readers, narrators, and other translation devices create a diverse environment where people of all backgrounds can feel included and educated in their community.
Case Studies: Examples of Successful Smart Cities
Multiple case studies from around the world prove smart cities provide resilient and thriving, maintainable, and inclusive societies.
Case Study 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands
As one of the leading future cities of the world, Amsterdam has constructed an intelligent city where they implemented transparency, collaboration, and a reduced workload for the city government, businesses, and the residents of this community.
For more information on Amsterdam’s smart city, look at this great article on SHERPA Smart Cities Case Study – Amsterdam Smart City.
Case Study 2: Singapore
Singapore is implementing smart city technologies in a new project with a completion date of around 2025. Yet, it has already been recognized by IMD Smart City Index 2019 as the “smartest city in the world.”
This city is bringing smart technology to the forefront, making specialized programs for diverse ways of life, including apps for families with young children offering resources, education, and parenting tips and tricks. Civil defense, traffic flow, parking, and public service apps will also be found.
For more information on Singapore’s smart city, look at this remarkable study.
Challenges and Opportunities for Smart Cities
Many challenges come along with creating smart cities of the future; these are expensive and complicated smart city projects to take on. Yet the opportunities available to fund and assist in developing these future communities can improve the chances of more being constructed around the world.
Challenges
Two significant challenges faced by those developing smart cities today are funding and available resources. There is limited funding through federal governments to assist in the astronomical cost of designing and maintaining these cities.
There aren’t many resources available to implement these living facilities that would be needed to develop more around the world.
Another concern is data privacy and security concerns. With most daily operations guided by technology and the internet, cyber attacks can harm the entire community.
Opportunities
Luckily, there are opportunities out there, with more becoming available as the innovative smart city concept becomes more mainstream. This includes collaborations and partnerships between multiple stakeholders, limiting financial investment up front.
Innovative financing models are also assisting in the ability to develop these future cities by offering more efficient and affordable designing, construction, and maintenance tools and materials.
Conclusion
Technology, sustainability, and community engagement are critical to developing an innovative, inclusive, diverse smart city. Developing an efficient, affordable, and community-driven world will give future cities a strong foundation for a more eco-friendly, self-maintaining society.
