Published regularly throughout the year, Transform looks at how digital technology is re-shaping the present, while giving readers a glimpse of the future.
In this edition:
Smart cities have one thing in common: they’re all different
If you think a smart city is one where everything’s run from a central control room, think again.
“There isn't one master planner or master engineer,” says Anthony Townsend, Urbanist in Residence at Cornell Tech in New York. “The work is coordinating all the little bits and connecting them up together, making sure they can talk to each other.”
Everyone wants the benefits of a smart city, Townsend notes. They want streets to be swept and garbage to be hauled away.
But different cities want different kinds of control over how all of this happens.
“We're heading to a world where smart city governance is a bunch of options you configure in the software when you buy your tech,” Townsend says. “That vision of having an endless number of little things I can toggle on and off, controlling how data moves around, and who sees it – that's the future.”
Read the full interview with Anthony Townsend.
Breaking open technology’s black box
San Antonio, the fastest-growing U.S. city, faces major challenges in public health and income inequality.
Some can be overcome with the help of the right technology, writes Emily Royall, who runs San Antonio’s smart city program.
Before launching that initiative, San Antonio spent nearly a year on community engagement, developing a framework that responded to the needs of its residents.
“Our team distributed surveys, met with residents, and participated in dozens of community events,” Royall writes in an article for Transform #15.
“We received thousands of survey responses and incorporated them into a Community Story Map that illustrates residents’ perspectives on the roles they want technology to play in their daily lives.”
Royall says that if they’re not careful, cities may fall for slick sales pitches that lead them to buy features residents don’t need – “technology looking for a problem to solve.” And many don’t fully understand the technology, allowing it to become a black box that prevents them from being transparent, accountable, and fair.
Read the article by Emily Royall.
From smart to cognitive: the next step in cities’ evolution
5G networks, cloud computing, big data, AI, and Large Language Models will combine to enhance and automate city processes, writes Hong-Eng Koh, Huawei’s Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist.
This powerful combination will stimulate cross-city data flows and ease joint operations across municipal agencies.
“Cognitive cities will be data-driven,” writes Mr. Koh. “A cognitive city will protect people against disasters, accidents, and crime. It will promote continuous growth for people and businesses through smart education and training. It will deliver intelligent, personalized healthcare to foster lifelong well-being. And it will create a greener, more sustainable environment in which people can shop, work, and socialize.”
Read the full article by Hong-Eng Koh.
Get your sunglasses on: smart cities have a bright future
When it comes to the role smart cities will play in the coming years, Dr. Jacqui Taylor is an optimist.
But she’s also a realist. And so, she says, are tomorrow’s civic leaders.
“They don't care about technology” says Taylor, the CEO of FlyingBinary, a consultancy. “They just want it to work. They want to be sure of the outcomes it creates, and of the social contract they have with their citizens.”
Despite her positive outlook, Dr. Taylor acknowledges that many challenges remain. Tomorrow’s smart cities will need to create a new social contract based on trust, rather than technology.
“We should be working out how our technology can be deployed and what difference it can make,” she says. “The focus should be societal, not technological.”
Read the interview with Dr. Taylor.
NIMBY-ism is holding cities back
When designing successful cities, boldness is a key ingredient, says Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects.
But when it comes to envisioning the future, he believes many cities aren’t nearly bold enough.
“Density restrictions and an unwillingness to convert commercial buildings and offices into residential buildings are holding back development and contributing to a housing crisis,” says Schumacher.
He adds that NIMBY-ism (Not in My Back Yard) is a big problem in London, where he lives.
“Incumbent residents can block or determine what happens in the wider realm around them. It’s too much incumbent power and privilege…[W]e often have sites where we could easily have put in double the amount of housing and developed the products differently. There's too much interference, and definitely not enough entrepreneurship and innovation.
“It’s a conservative mentality and planning paralysis,” Schumacher laments. “It's similar in New York and San Francisco: they’re all suffering.”
Read the full interview with Patrik Schumacher.
A video tour shows how tech is making life better
The video gallery in this edition of Transform shows what it’s like to live in some of the smartest places in China, and takes a look at how Malaysia is using tech to give children in poorer parts of the country the best education possible.
Check out the videos here.
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