Time to Wise Up to Smart Cities

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Previews and reviews

I’m not going to bore you by womansplaining what a smart city is. You already know that, having read Harry Stott’s excellent preview of the Smart City Expo 2019. What I will do is share my take-homes as an Expo newbie after three grueling days sitting in conference rooms, and tramping the vast exhibition floor taking to companies and developers about smart solutions to issues as diverse as energy, mobility, waste management, water, senior care and more. Here goes: 

Seething Metropoles Need to Be Smart Ones

Over half the world’s population and counting now lives in cities. That’s a lot of people to move, feed, water and house (not to mention deal with their doings). To achieve it, smart tech is essential.  

But That’s Only the Half of It

We also need smart leaders, smart planning and smart legislation to ensure that tech is put to the best use to solve our most pressing issues. And when I say pressing… for example, we already have the tech to mitigate—not “fix” or “prevent” anymore—the climate crisis.  But we’re either not making the most of it, or we’re sitting back hoping the scientists are going to save us. 

And If Not the Scientists, Then Who?

I must admit to feeling slightly less doomed when I see how many companies, entrepreneurs and visionaries are working towards solutions to the big issues, and how the market can be a force for positive change. For example, “green business” has become simply “business,” and sustainability increasingly makes good financial sense. Public-private partnerships are achieving great things in areas like mobility and can enable both parties to move forward faster than alone. However, there are dangers inherent in trusting in the market to save us. Citizen involvement and a degree of governmental oversight will always be necessary to ensure it has our best interests at heart. 

That’s why…  

You Need to Own It (In an Empowered, Beyoncé Kind of Way)

Debates over ownership and access to data, transparency, online security and safety are currently raging. Whatever the outcomes, it’s no longer a spectator sport. Whether figuratively or literally, we all need to own where we go from here. 

Your Smart City Needs You (And You, and You…)

As a lifelong Luddite, I initially assumed the Expo wasn’t going to be up my carrer.  I was wrong, of course, but my experience isn’t unusual. Many people are turned off when they hear “smart city,” either because they don’t understand what it means, or they don’t grasp the potential or the impact on their daily lives. Unfortunately, unless you’re my dad, blissful ignorance just isn’t an option anymore. 

As the digital revolution gathers pace, knowledge has supplanted oil as the world’s most valuable raw material. And you know what they say about knowledge and power… Data literacy and inclusivity are vital if entire sections of society aren’t to be left behind in the coming years. For example, women currently do the majority of the jobs likely to be lost to AI, so it’s crucial they start studying for tech careers while still young or re-skilling if older. 

After all, greater diversity is the only way to ensure our tech is… 

Of the People, by the People, for the People

Q: What happens when your politicians are overwhelmingly white, middle-aged, wealthy men. A: You get laws made for white, middle-aged, wealthy men. Known as the privilege bias, this doesn’t happen because these are bad men (mostly); they just don’t have the necessary experience to understand what life is like for anyone else. 

Q: What happens when everything is overwhelmingly studied or developed by one specific section of society? A: You get more women injured in traffic accidents because safety systems have been designed for the male form. You get AI that doesn’t recognize people with disabilities, or that struggles with higher pitched female voices. You get black people who can’t wash their hands because a tap’s sensor can’t detect their skin, etc, etc. And it’s not just the individuals who are affected: compensating for inequalities of any sort eats up a big chunk of governments’ budgets (i.e. your taxes). 

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you that you need to get along to next year’s Smart City Expo. But why wait that long to start finding out how smart your city is?

You can learn more about the Smart City World Congress via its website at smartcityexpo.com or follow on Twitter at @SmartCityexpo, Facebook at @SmartCityExpoWorldCongress and Instagram at @smartcityexpo or connect on LinkedIn.

Kate Williams is a freelance writer, editor, translator and Director of The Writer Stuff. She left her native England for Barcelona in 2003 and never looked, or went, back. When she isn’t writing or discovering all the cool stuff going on in the city, she enjoys hiking in the Catalan countryside, kayaking on the Costa Brava, and volunteers at a local animal sanctuary. You can read more by Kate here.