Now "smart" cities a new buzzword?

Remember that future in "Blade Runner" where huge billbords, flying cars, replicants, and big buildings were deployed all over the city?

Do cities will be alike in 70 or 80 years ahead? 

The thing is if we do not act today! we will have such kind of cities with the worst of humanity & technology, so  what can we do?

Some ideas:

1) Understand that is ONLY ONE EARTH that we must preserve in the best fitness that our knowledge, attitude and effort can deliver to this goal.

2) All of us want not only that Earth will prevail, but also enjoy our lifetime

So why do we

3) Go out from egoism none of the readers of this post (maybe a few) will witness cities by the end of this century.

4) Be aware of the challenge and get on with those stakeholders that are also interested on future.

Smart cities are an excellent opportunity to work in a FOUR+  actions matrix that should take in consideration not only Latitude, Longitude, Altitude but TIME, why? because each world's region, country, culture have differences in the way people see, and feel the life; so only one recipe is not easy to swallow and because human nature the rejection to change, and of course the ECONOMICS´ interest delay any good idea or plan just because money & power greedy.

Cities in countries like China, India, México, Brasil, Egypt has different challenges that other ones in Europe or USA for instance.

 

"There is not an universally accepted definition"........at this moment 

So what is an smart city? well let put some basic components on them.

  1) adequate water supply,  

  2) assured energy supply, (smart grids, autogeneration, cogeneration) 

  3) sanitation, including solid waste management, 

  4) efficient urban mobility and public transport, 

  5) affordable housing,

  6) robust ITC connectivity and digitalization, (IoT, autonomous cars)

  7) good governance, (especially e-Governance and citizen participation), 

  8) sustainable environment,

  9) safety and security of citizens (particularly women, children and the elderly), 

10) health and education.

In cities with 500,000 those components could be easy fulfilled, but in cities with 20,000,000 people is a nigthmare, isn´t it? Those big human sites are by the fact a mess, that is it and I can tell you I have lived the last 50+ in México city (just 8.5MM but with other 12MM in municipalities connected)

In Sweden in the 1983 I took a OPE/MAN telecomm course in Televerket (today TELIA) and I was overexposed in a meeting where a planning team (sew, water, telephone, roads, parks,....) where revising the town´s regional growth, to take in consideration all blueprints and construction works coordination for the town´s development in 2005!! this year I´ll go back to check

Just one word:  PLANNING  it is the key to achieve any goal.

Of course countries, goverments, enterprises, people should understand that an smart city will take decades to change the way of doing the "business as usual" before all relevant concepts will take place as a normal service in any place.

So "smart city" is a new buzzword?   why do not start rigth now?

or what do you think?

roberto sánchez, PE, RCDD, CxA

México