What are smart cities (and are they the future of the built environment)?
Posted on: 7 October, 2024
Are smart cities another marketing buzzword in the built environment, or are they really the future of our urban infrastructure?
You may well have heard of smart homes and smart buildings – modern structures and properties that utilise the latest digital technology to create efficient, comfortable and sustainable spaces for living. These projects, like Beeah Headquarters in UAE or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UK, represent the intelligent, sustainable future of the built environment.
But what if these concepts were applied to an entire city? How could this technology be used to improve the lives of millions of people on a wider scale? It’s an exciting prospect that, far from a pipe dream, is being implemented across the world and touted as a key component in the future of urban planning. But what is it that makes a city ‘smart’, and how does a smart city actually work?
What are smart cities?
A smart city is a settlement or place that is made more efficient through extensive use of digital technologies, with the goal of improving the quality of life of its residents and benefitting the environment.
Every year, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) publish a Smart City Index – a poll where residents from 142 cities are asked for their opinions on the place they live in. This ranking has become a common way of measuring, determining and defining what a smart city is. IMD’s index looks at the multiple areas in its surveys, including technology and infrastructure services, health and safety, mobility, governance and opportunities.
What makes a city ‘smart’?
Like smart buildings, smart cities use a combination of technologies to optimise their performance across different areas. These technologies are often connected to share data and support one another, forming an infrastructure framework that can address challenges on an urban scale.
There are a wide range of technologies commonly associated with smart cities, including:
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Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a group of physical objects, such as sensors, that are digitally connected, forming a network of devices that exchange data with one another. IoT is closely associated with smart cities, playing a key role in monitoring and optimising things like energy efficiency, weather conditions and congestion levels.
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Artificial intelligence
Another technology that has given rise to the concept of the smart city is artificial intelligence (AI), which, when combined with IoT, can analyse data and make real-time and predictive adjustments to a city’s services and infrastructure.
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Autonomous vehicles
Self-driving cars have been in development for decades, but thanks to advancements in sensor technology and connectivity, they could be a reality in the world’s smartest cities. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionise transportation by improving safety and efficiency and reducing congestion.
Learn more: Why is the traffic in my city so bad?
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5G
5G will be a major part of smart cities, offering citizens faster speeds, lower latency, improve reliability and increased flexibility. Its implementation will be key to connecting the devices that form IoT networks, whilst enhancing security and ensuring connectivity for all.
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Big data
Big data is any set of data that can’t be traditionally processed or analyse due to its size. The volume and variety of big data can offer significant benefits for organisations and governments, but storing, processing and managing effectively requires both specialist tools and knowledge. Considering the emphasis this urban planning concept places on sensors and information, managing big data will likely be a crucial responsibility in the implementation of smart city projects.
Technologies like those listed above place are integral to the smart city concept. However, as the IMD Smart City Index shows, it’s not incorporating futuristic tools that makes a city ‘smart’ – it’s using them to have a demonstrable, positive impact on a city’s residents and the environment.
8 examples of smart cities around the world
1. Singapore, Singapore
Singapore is home to several smart buildings, including Frasers Tower and Capital Tower, so it’s no surprise that this concept is being implemented on a city-wide level here. It’s often considered to be ahead of the curve when it comes to the implementation of technology, and is consistently ranked as one of the smartest cities in the world.
A key driver for Singapore’s adoption of smart technologies is its Smart Nation initiative, which was launched in 2014 with the intention of harnessing the potential of technology to impact and improve the lives of its population. One example of what makes Singapore ‘smart’ is its use of digital sensors to collection information about the behaviour of citizens, allowing them to measure things like overcrowding, peak hours and congestion times.
Learn more: Smart buildings, explained – here’s what they mean for the built environment
2. London, UK
While many of the places on this list are newly built from the ground up, existing places, particularly capitals, have also been early testing grounds for the implementation of smart technologies. In 2022, London came second in a ranking of places with the best connectivity infrastructure, owing to nine 5G towers it had installed – a record at the time. This meant its broadband speeds were 65% faster than the other locations analysed, which has a knock-on impact on productivity.
Outside of connectivity, London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s smart city initiative, Smarter London Together, detailed the capital’s long-term plans for innovation, which include improving its approach to digital inclusion, developing a city-wide cybersecurity strategy, and implementing standardisation in its physical infrastructure.
3. New York, USA
New York is another example of a historical location that is being modernised through smart technology to become more efficient and sustainable.
Energy consumption and waste management, two key challenges in the city, are being addressed through LED light retrofitting projects, automated metre reading (AMR) systems that monitor water consumption and bills, and smart bins powered by solar energy that schedule pickup trips when they’re full.
4. The Line, Saudi Arabia
Announced in 2021, The Line is one of the most striking architectural projects the world has ever seen. A linear city stretching an incredible 110 miles, the project is predicted to cost $500 billion, and will be the 12th tallest building in the world once complete. There are plans for The Line to be powered by renewable energy, be completely carbon free, and make use of autonomous transportation systems,
The construction of The Line has attracted significant criticism. Many question the city’s ability to be sustainable, given the amount of embodied carbon necessary to produce it, while the ethics of the construction itself have prompted serious concerns. Others believe the project is merely a smokescreen to deflect away from the questionable sustainability and human rights practices of Saudi Arabia.
Fred Mills, Founder and MD of The B1M, joined UCEM’s Mike Speight and Marc Fleming to discuss this staggering project and its implications in more detail on the BE Sustainable podcast:
You can also listen to the episode via:
5. Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich topped IMD’s Smart City Index in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year, as the Swiss city continues to be the posterchild for smart city technologies and concepts.
Some of the findings and feedback from IMD’s 2023 report shine a light on why the city has been so successful:
- Zurich’s residents have a life expectancy of 84, above the average of 70
- 80% of its citizens that were surveyed say their public transport is ‘satisfactory’
- 71% said it’s ‘easy’ to find information about local government decisions
- 60% are comfortable with the use of facial recognition to reduce crime levels
Zurich has successfully integrated AI, augmented reality (AR) and other smart technologies into its urban planning process to improve the quality of life of its citizens. What’s more, the results of this survey show that residents of Zurich are on board with the concept, too.
6. Woven City, Japan
You might not recognise this Japanese municipality alongside some of the other more familiar names on this list, and that’s because, like The Line, it hasn’t actually been built yet. Announced in 2021 and scheduled to be finished this year, Woven City is a ‘living laboratory experiment’ under construction by Toyota, who you’d be forgiven for associating with the manufacturing of cars like the Yaris and Corolla, not cities.
Woven City, which will be finished later this year, has been billed as ‘a place for co-creation’ for its ‘investors and residents’ who share Toyota’s values and passion ‘to invent something new’. As part of the company’s plans to transform themselves into a ‘mobility’ company, the city will be full of new innovations and technologies, which its residents will be encouraged to try out and provide feedback on.
7. Canberra, Australia
Despite being one of the few non-European cities listed on the IMD Smart City Index, Canberra was ranked third in this year’s list – ahead of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and other much larger cities in Australia.
Canberra owes much of its success to environmental factors. Named one of the most sustainable cities in the world, its high levels of inclusivity, incorporation of green spaces, healthy property market and low levels of traffic congestion resonate strongly with its citizens. On top of this, it’s also integrated technology effectively to improve the lives of its population and attract new residents.
Learn more: What is urban greening (and how is it creating the cities of the future)?
8. Xiongan, China
Xiongan is one of China’s new smart cities, and a personal initiative of Chairman and President Xi Jinping. This new municipality, which will be 2,000km in size once completed, has a digital twin – a virtual counterpart that can be monitored and put through simulations to optimise performance. Its design also adopts sponge city principles to account for the site’s ecological characteristics, whilst improving its water management capabilities.
Xiongan became the latest of the many cities in China to earn the ‘ghost city’ tag, due to the slow rate at which it has been able to attract a population. However, despite the fact it isn’t finished yet, it still has a population of over one million people.
Learn more: What’s going on with China’s ghost cities?
Are smart cities a good thing?
A utopian concept by some and a dystopian nightmare by others, there are a wide range of potential benefits (and drawbacks) to smart cities:
4 benefits of smart cities
1. Reduced pollution
One of the key selling points of smart infrastructure is its ability to minimise pollution, which, in the wake of growing climate change fears and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, is a major priority for governments across the world. Smart technologies can help efficiency by reducing unnecessary usage of resources, improving air quality and reducing traffic flow.
2. Improved safety
Smart technology can be used to reduce levels of crime and illegal behaviour. These tools can give governments and police greater visibility and monitoring capabilities, meaning things like gunshots can be detected, license plates can be tracked, and response times can be improved.
3. Better transportation services
Improving transportation is another key focus of smart city projects, with traffic and congestion costing governments, businesses and civilians time, money and productivity. Smart technology will improve the efficiency of transportation in many ways, from improving how traffic is managed for cars to connecting commuters with real-time information about public transportation services.
4. Optimised infrastructure maintenance
Smart technology can also help to maintain our existing urban infrastructure, from buildings and public spaces to roads and bridges. Through the use of data analysis and predictive analytics, potential issues that could create significant disruption or even safety risks in infrastructure can be identified and addressed ahead of time.
4 cons of smart cities
There’s been a fair amount of criticism towards the smart city concept. Some critics believe they’ve failed to live up to their much-hyped promise, particularly in the case of new developments like Woven City, where many argue that integrating tech into existing locations would be more efficient. Others point to failed and abandoned smart city infrastructure projects, such as Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, which was halted due to unforeseen costs.
Here are some of the criticisms of this urban planning concept:
1. Data and privacy concerns
The benefits of increased monitoring and data collection is potentially a double-edge sword for a city’s population. While it can make a place more efficient, it will do nothing to allay concerns around privacy and the use of personal information which have already been rising in the digital area.
2. Fuels inequality
It’s hoped that smart city networks will help to bridge the digital divide and bring network access and connectivity to all, but unless it’s properly implemented, it could actually make matters worse. Without targeted efforts to ensure connectivity is spread across communities, smart technology could potentially widen existing inequalities.
3. Sustainability isn’t guaranteed
Ironically, the very technologies smart cities will use to minimise pollution could create another sustainability issue for governments and organisations – electronic waste generation. What’s more, the ‘smartness’ of a city doesn’t necessarily make it sustainable; ultimately, it’s up to the population of a city to adopt and embrace these technologies and practices to truly reverse a city’s environmental impact.
4. Dependence on infrastructure reliability
Smart technology has such an integral role in the successful running and operations of a city that, if it fails, the impact could be catastrophic. The connected nature of networks and devices mean that one failure could disrupt operations across the board, making building resilience and implementing backup systems crucial.
Final thoughts
The smart city concept is one of the defining urban planning models of the 21st century. Its ability to significantly impact the lives of millions of people cannot be understated, and it could go a long way to helping the built environment align with a net zero future.
However, if this model is to be implemented effectively, urban planners, local authorities and governments need to engage citizens in the process and ensure they buy in to its ability to impact their lives for the better.
Urban planning is an exciting field that has a pivotal role in the design and function of our cities and communities. If you want to have a part in helping the built environment realise a sustainable future, UCEM’s MSc Urban Planning will give you the knowledge, skills and technical understanding you need.
Find out more: MSc Urban Planning – University College of Estate Management
