7 things, the world’s smartest cities have in common
Many cities call themselves a Smart City – a widely used term for an urban entity, that integrates information networks in order to improve all aspects of its citizens lives and to enhance efficiency of public services. An ambitious goal, some cities are more successful in following. Here are the ten most important things, the most successful cities have in common.
#1 Smart Citizens
A smart city needs smart citizens. They have the expertise and the day-to-day experience not only to name problems, but also solutions. Next to the city itself and the industry, citizens will be the co-producers of future Smart Cities. The world’s smartest cities already count on the high potential of their residents. Next to involving people in the democratic process, the residents are encouraged to proactively use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure and co-create city projects. This helps to sustain the quality of life, even in a fast-changing city.
While citizen participation is nothing new per se, technical innovations offer new and wide-ranging possibilities. Helsinki, a city in the upper range of all Smart City rankings, introduced an online platform in 2013, allowing residents to pin ideas and comments on a digital map. Within one month, more than 33,000 responses from approximately 4,700 residents were posted. A lot of the resident-produced information was used for the city’s long-term plan to address the challenges caused by the growth in density and population. On several platforms, Helsinki residents can not only monitor ongoing projects and plans, but also make initiatives concerning city issues. Interactive maps appear to be an appealing tool for the participation of many.
#2 Energy Efficiency
75 per cent of European citizens live in urban areas. Cities account for around 70 per cent of global energy consumption and roughly the same for CO2 emissions. Smart Cities are well aware of the importance of using scarce resources efficiently and also consider the growing importance of renewables. The necessary expansion of electricity networks for feeding power from renewable sources into the grid requires combining the energy supply and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) more than ever. Also, smart technology offers a huge potential for the reduction of urban energy consumption. Facts, that cities like Barcelona are already taking advantage of. The Spanish city set up individual Iot (Internet of Things) networks across urban services. Smart meters, installed all over the city, monitor and optimize power consumption. Simultaneously, city lampposts were transitioned to LEDs; sensors can register an empty road and simply switch off the light. By 2020, the city wants to reduce energy consumption by 9.9 per cent and double local energy production (compared to 2008). Part of the initiative is also communicating the role of individual energy consumption and ways to save power.
#3 Good Environmental Quality
Even the smartest of all cities is not liveable if it is not clean. Clean air, water and streets are main factors for the quality of life in an urban environment. But due to the intense business activities caused by the dense population and the according traffic and waste production, it is a challenging task to keep or make a city clean. Many health issues result from urban environmental problems such as waste and air pollution. Noise, light pollution, the lack of green areas and other problems are driving factors for mental problems in cities as well. Smart Cities offer a new chance to resolve urban environmental problems. Amsterdam, an outstanding Smart City with generally good environmental quality has still problems with its air quality. Using “TreeWiFi” is one promising approach here. Sensors, that look like a birdhouse, can be purchased by local governments or residents and are placed in trees in different neighbourhoods. Their colour indicates the air quality. If it is good enough, it lights green and unlocks free WiFi access. Also, the sensors collect data for clean air measures. By making pollution visible, the birdhouses set an incentive to residents to proactively improve their neighbourhood’s air quality.
#4 Innovation Ecosystem
If you compare the world’s most innovative cities to the leading Smart Cities you will soon notice, that they largely overlap. Every city has its individual problems that very often require just as individual solutions. Sometimes, existing solutions can be retrofitted to certain problems, but in many cases, innovation comes from where the problems occur. While global IT-Giants like IBM, Cisco or Siemens offer great solutions to a modern city’s infrastructure, local start-ups can approach things differently. From the city’s perspective, a flourishing start-up and entrepreneurship scene, also works as a job motor and attracts investors and high potential workforce.
A first step to establish to encourage start-ups is offering efficient administration as well as platforms exchange and visibility. Coworking spaces and clusters offer a breeding ground for innovation. Many start-ups originate from higher education institutes. It is hard to track down a recipe for developing a lively scene, but it appears that Smart Cities with young and open-minded residents offer the necessary ecosystems. Israel developed an online network where start-ups, investors, hubs and multinationals can meet. Today, Tel Aviv is regarded as one of the world’s leading start-up cities with approximately one start-up per 1,000 residents.
#5 Efficient mobility
Due to the fast-growing population in many cities, mobility – next to energy and housing – is one of the most obvious challenges. Limited space, the demand for sustainable and efficient transportation – the era of motorized private transport appears to come to an end, at least in the big scale, we are used to it today. In order to offer an efficient system, transportation has to be managed in smart way and has to take many aspects of urban life into consideration. This will be one major difference of future cities. Some Smart Cities already let us take a glimpse at what future mobility will look like. Cycling, public transportation and car sharing systems are gaining importance, but also the city’s structure defines future transportation. Better distribution of key infrastructure can shorten daily ways, making walking more attractive. IoT solutions provide real time traffic data, which is used to regulate traffic in order to avoid jams.
Copenhagen is an inspiring example as a Smart City, especially concerning traffic. Today, already 40 per cent of the Swedish capital commute by bicycle on a daily basis. Their Intelligent Transport Systems Action Plan will make bicycle and bus commuting more efficient and faster. Smart traffic lights prioritize buses and will cut their travel times by 20 per cent, for cyclists by 10 per cent. Intelligent traffic signals will make green waves throughout the whole city by adapting to changes of the traffic dynamics in real time.
#6 Green Features
Green spaces in cities were an area of conflict – for many decades short term business interests were treated preferentially compared to public needs. Due to intense construction activity, many cities lack green, public spaces for recreational use. With Smart Cities, more plants find back their way into urban life. The advantages of green spaces are manifold: Residents can enjoy outdoor activities right in their neighbourhood, they act as a centre for communities and are beneficial for mental health. Also, they provide environmental benefits, such as cleaning air pollution, collecting excess water and even reduce heat on summer days.
Every top Smart City has a concept promoting the expansion of green areas. Singapore has managed to integrate green spaces in most facets of urban life – in spite of being one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Plant life even found its way into the heights. New buildings include green roofs, verdant walls and cascading vertical gardens. Parks and community gardens are spread throughout the city. The most spectacular project is the Gardens by the Bay in a residential and entertainment district. It is a huge park with many features such as the 30-metre-tall Supertrees that are not only home to thousands of plants but also entertain tourists and locals with (solar powered) lightshows and areal walkways.
#7 Not being dumb
This one sounds obvious for a city referred as “Smart City”. But actually, being smart is more than just using the newest technology associated with terms as IoT or ICT. While those things are key elements, city planners must not forget that a Smart City is about creating the best possible urban environment for all affected by it – under the constraint of being efficient, inclusive, healthy and sustainable. That’s why the world’s top smart cities listen to their citizen’s needs, concerns and ideas. The concept of co-creation helps to break down traditional hierarchies of city planning by replacing top-down approaches to problems by multi-dimensional solutions. Citizens, the local government, businesses and academics – all are included in the process of finding smart solutions.
Another point, where actual Smart Cities stand out, is the multidisciplinary approach to problems. A challenge in one area can be a chance to improve one or more others as well. Barcelona’s smart street lampposts are a good example of efficiently using IoT: not only can they recognize whether a street is used and switch the lights on and off accordingly, but they are also part of the city’s WiFi network and gather environmental information. City planners can use that information to plan environmental measures more efficiently.