Forget science fiction megalopolis, isolated hi-tech buildings, cyborg-resembling people: the Smart City of the future will be defined by quieter upgrades to existing systems, new partnerships and services that focus on solving urban problems and improving quality of life.
As confirmed by recent research by UCL and the British Council, Cities have understood that people should always come first, so communities and universities should be involved, alongside businesses and local authorities, in urban planning and development. Enhance poor quality housing, safeguard local resources and mitigate climate change effects are some of the most challenging issues, together with public safety and healthcare services.
Technology can play an important and often decisive role in tackling these problems, but deploying futuristic systems might not be the best possible choice. The way to go is more likely to consider the consolidation of current City infrastructure, its gradual extension and the step-by-step integration of any necessary service or application.
As Smart Cities are actually a journey, they must make decisions over which technologies to use and which vendors to work with: the route they take could have serious implications in terms of what they achieve further down the line. That’s why interoperability is being increasingly sought to unlock Cities’ real innovation potential, create virtuous ecosystems and build inclusive, safer and more sustainable urban communities.
But how should an interoperable infrastructure look like? Watch the recorded version of the webinar “The open road – A smart city is an interoperable city” and discover more.
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