Smart cities are the 21st century version of the self-sufficient city. They’re digitally connected and use data to efficiently manage resources, reduce waste, and optimize services for residents. Smart cities save time and money while enhancing quality of life. They can be anywhere and everywhere—not just a few isolated places. While most people assume that smart cities are still a few years away, they’ve actually been growing rapidly in recent years. In this blog post, we’ll explore what makes a city “smart,” different types of smart cities, the history of smart cities, the future of smart cities, and how you can jump on the smart city bandwagon sooner rather than later.
What Makes a City “Smart”?
There are a few necessary ingredients to make a city truly “smart.” First, it needs to be connected. This allows for data sharing and seamless communication between devices, sensors, and people. Second, it needs to embrace the internet of things (IoT), which is the network of connected devices. Third, it needs a central governing system that manages operations and resources. Fourth, it needs a culture of innovation and experimentation. Finally, it needs to be able to scale across different regions and be applicable to a wide range of economic and cultural contexts.
Different Types of Smart Cities
There are several types of smart cities. Here are some of the most common: Each type of smart city has a few core components. First, there needs to be a central governing system that manages operations and resources. Second, there needs to be a strong culture of innovation and experimentation to make new technologies and systems work for everyone. And, finally, there needs to be a scalable infrastructure to make the technology work for everyone.
The Future of Smart Cities
While smart cities are growing, there are still many obstacles to overcome. First, there is a lack of awareness and skills needed to build and operate smart cities. Many people don’t know that smart cities even exist, and those who do might not have the skills to make their cities smarter. Second, there is a lack of political will and funding. Many governments think that it’s not their job to make their cities smarter, and others don’t have the money needed to invest in them. Finally, there is a lack of technology and standards. There is not yet one central standard that makes it easy to make cities smarter. There is also not enough open-source technology, so people can’t simply download an app that makes their city smarter.
How to Build a Smart City
What should you do if you want to make your city smarter? First, start with your community. What are the people, businesses, and organizations in your city working on? How can you support, encourage, and build on the work that’s already happening? Then, build a coalition of government, businesses, and community leaders who are committed to making your city smarter. Finally, identify your city’s greatest challenges, and find ways to address them through smart technologies.
This is what the Saldanha Bay Municipality did. They took the next step to embrace the impact of technology. You can read more about how Amoeba TSC conceptualised the SBM Digital Citizen application and is helping the Saldanha Bay Municipality by introducing 4IR.
Bottom line
The future is here! Smart cities will become more integrated with technology each day. With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it’s no surprise that smart cities are the latest trend. Make sure your city stays ahead of the game by investing in tech and creating a smart city.
If you’d like to know how to start the journey , book a consultation with us and join the Fourth Industrial Revolution!