Overview
Smart Cities have become a hot topic over recent years as many policymakers and politicians understand how their application can solve a variety of problems that plague urban communities. In particular, this article explores how Smart Cities can remediate urban problems such as traffic congestion and air pollution through the effective application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and provides an analysis of why Smart Cities need to be designed from a socio-technical perspective. Additionally, the article comments on the need for Smart City planners to adopt a society-first mindset when creating and developing Smart City models. The following questions will be answered; is the development of Smart Cities the answer to remediating today’s urban problems? And how has the rapid progression of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) contributed to the evolution of the Smart City movement?
Keywords: smart city, information communications technology (ICT), socio-technical, urban problems, urban, urbanization, policymakers, smart city planners, big data
Introduction
Oftentimes referred to as “digital cities” or “intelligent cities”, Smart Cities are typically defined by urban areas that utilize different types of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to increase the city’s overall efficiency to improve the quality of life of the people that inhabit or visit that area. The concept of “Smart Cities” became popular in the 1990s and has since become a metaphor for urban modernity. However, it must be noted that various scholars argue that the seeds of today’s Smart City movement were first planted by practitioners in the 1980’s. These scholars wrote articles and published research envisioning future cities being transformed through the application of technology.
Policymakers, politicians, and some scholars have created the narrative of Smart Cities being the epitome of an urban technological utopia (somewhat like the “The Jetsons”), and a way to improve the quality of urban life. However, many scholars and organizations have criticized the Smart City movement for leaning too much on technology and less on society. It is even argued that with less focus on society, Smart Cities will not be able to improve the quality of life for most citizens.
Smart Cites and how they can solve various urban problems
As the world population continues to grow, so will the growth of urban problems. Hall (2015) contends that cities with suitable technology to manage their infrastructure such as roads, subways, water power, energy use, etc. can improve conveniences and the quality of life for their citizens. Hall (2015) also mentioned that these benefits are why policymakers are always on the search for the next big idea that can elevate their city to the top of the rank of attractive places.
Traffic Congestion
Perhaps, at present, one of the largest urban problems is traffic congestion. Although urbanization culminates into increased productivity because of economies of scale, the growing population in these areas means that the movement of citizens within the city becomes a challenge. The good news is, through proper planning and design, technologies associated with Smart Cities allow city officials to use data to strategically plan the location of traffic lights, bike routes, etc. to reduce traffic congestion (Spiliopoulos, 2020). For example, in New York, advanced V2I technologies are used to track the movement of pedestrians and vehicles throughout the city. Certainly, companies like Citi Bike use this data to plan the locations of bike stations.
Air Pollution
Another urban problem Smart Cities can solve is air pollution. For many years, urbanization has been a major contributing factor to the deterioration of the air we breathe. Apart from health concerns, in 2019, the human toll and price tag placed on the effects of air pollution were estimated to be over $886 billion (Neuhauser, 2019). The power of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) allows cities to collect real-time air pollution data to understand which localities are affected the most, the main source/cause of the pollution, and how citizens may be affected. Chong, Habib, Evangelopoulos, & Park (2018) explained that today, many Smart Cities in the United States such as; Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio are equipped with a plethora of air quality sensors. Therefore, this allows city officials to make more informed decisions as it relates to controlling air pollution. Officials can now rely on real-time data instead of historic data that are oftentimes inaccurate.
The need for Smart Cities to be designed from a socio-technical perspective
Correspondingly, the aforementioned information allows one to argue that the continued establishment of Smart Cities around the world may accelerate the journey towards sustainable development. However, some scholars argue that Smart Cities are not being developed to their fullest potentials and the overall design of most Smart Cities lacks a socio-technical perspective. According to Kitchin (2015), weak collaborative engagement with local stakeholders and one-size-fits-all narratives are the reasons why Smart Cities are being designed poorly. When Smart Cities are designed without being inclusive to all members within the city, the notion of urban problems being solved becomes questionable (Kitchin (2015). Therefore, one can further argue that Smart Cities are not smart if their design disregards the social conditions of their citizenry.
A recent study completed by Dietmar Offenhuber, an Associate Professor at Northeastern University, substantiates the claim that a lack of socio-technical design prevents Smart Cities from solving some of today’s urban problems. In Boston, the use of 311[1] data highlights the lack of cellular phone signaling from low-income neighborhoods in the city (Offenhuber, 2015). Certainly, 311 data is a great example of the use of smart Information and Communications Technology (ICT), but this lapse in data collection from low-income localities means that policies and decisions that are created based on the collection of this data will not be comprehensive.
Based on the example above, it is not far-fetched to think that poverty may not be on the agenda of some Smart City planners. This claim is alarming because poverty is a major problem that plagues many citizens in urban communities. Hall (2015) reasoned that many Smart City initiatives and planning for the future seldom includes those members of the city who are economically and socially displaced. Hall (2015) further explained that the lack of a communal based design culminates into the implementation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that is unable to solve the problems that exist at the core of improving the quality of urban life. [1] “311 is a form of technology that provides open channels of communication for issues that concern public spaces and public services”
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the evolution of the Smart City movement
It is imperative to further explore how technology has contributed to the evolution of the Smart City movement. One may argue that the pervasiveness and rapid growth of technology are two of the reasons why some Smart City planners are discounting the socio-technical approach and adopting a technology-first mindset when designing these cities.
Irrefutably, the evolution of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is one of the main drivers behind the increase in scope and scale of the movement. For example, Samih (2019) mentioned that advances in sensor and cloud technology and decreased cost in the production of sensors have led to a spike in sensor deployment throughout cities over recent years. Samih (2019) cites technology improvements of this nature as the reason why policymakers are eager to transform traditional cities into Smart Cities.
The continued advancement of big data-related technologies such as; virtual assistants and smart cars/homes are sure to lend to the progression of the Smart City movement. However, this may create a challenge for politicians and the government if the implementation of these new technologies is not done right. The rapid application of advanced technologies that exist in the Internet of Things could result in jobs composed of simple tasks being replaced by machines. If managed incorrectly (from a technology-first mindset), this can quickly change the discourse surrounding Smart Cities, and its evolution. Hall (2015) debates that the omnipresence of technology can change the narrative about Smart Cities from being one of grandeur to a future where unemployment numbers steadily increase because citizens are being replaced by machines.
Final Thoughts
As explored, the continued development of Smart Cities can solve many of today’s urban problems such as traffic congestion and air pollution. However, as suggested throughout this article, policymakers and Smart City planners need to design these cities from a socio-technical perspective if they are to obtain better results and avoid wasting resources. It is important to include members of the society who are economically and socially displaced as they are oftentimes overlooked and not included in the planning and development of Smart City models. Finally, even though technology is pervasive and a major driver of the Smart City movement, its application must be managed to carefully transform traditional cities into Smart Cities.
References
Chong, M., Habib, A., Evangelopoulos, N., & Park, H. W. (2018). Dynamic capabilities of a smart city: An innovative approach to discovering urban problems and solutions. Retrieved September 11, 2020 from Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), 682-692. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2018.07.005
Hall, P. (2015). Creative Cities and Economic Development. Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/00420980050003946
Kitchin, R. (2015). Making sense of smart cities: Addressing present shortcomings.
Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(1), 131-136. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsu027
Neuhauser, A. (2019). 100,000 Americans Die from Air Pollution, Study Finds. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-04- 08/100-000-americans-die-from-air-pollution-study-finds
Offenhuber, D. (2015). Infrastructure legibility—a comparative analysis of open311-based citizen feedback systems. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(1), 93- 112. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsu001
Samih, H. (2019). Smart cities and internet of things. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 21(1), 3-12. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1080/15228053.2019.1587572
Spiliopoulos, D. (2020). Two main urban problems that IoT and AI can solve. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://iiot-world.com/smart-cities-buildings- infrastructure/smart-cities/two-main-urban-problems-that-iot-and-ai-can-solve/
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