Cities around the world are gradually up in their game of using smart technology to make the residents' lives easier in every aspect. Politicians and urban planners have been laying the groundwork to leverage technology to meet the demands of residents and provide greater efficiencies in delivering services in the quest to create these smart cities. Much of this work is in its infancy, as cities build a "smart" foundation. After about 10 years, they are entering a new developmental phase as digital solutions are harnessed to deliver real-time information to users and providers through connected applications. Here are the top 10 smart city projects that have shocked the world.
In London, various initiatives have been implemented, such as the London Development Database (LDD), a collaborative project for the management of construction permits and their different stages in real-time, which can be accessed by any citizen via the web. Other initiatives have reached out to a diverse population, teaching them digital skills related to the handling of technologies such as tablets. In addition, smart electricity meters have been implemented, applying the power of data to generate more sustainable cities. In addition, London also stands out, in terms of transport, thanks to the creation of the Heathrow Pods, driverless vehicles that interconnect the city with the airport.
The LinkNYC network was implemented to foster more egalitarian access to technology, which replaces phone booths with fast, free Wi-Fi access points to learn about the city services. Regarding traffic, the city implemented the Midtown in Motion program to manage downtown rush hours. Using speed sensors and a data centre managed by urban traffic engineers, they have managed to improve commuting times by 10%. The water supply has also benefited from smart processes through the generation of systems that centralize home consumption data while allowing users to know their readings in real time, as well as pay their bills online.
Paris is, together with London, one of the financial capitals of Europe, and it is also one of the most-visited cities by tourists from across the globe. Its ambitious research and development project '2050 Paris Smart City' aims to integrate high-rise buildings and energy power, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%. In fact, the architect Vincent Callebaut has presented a project to the Paris City Council, in which he shows what the capital would be like in 30 years if it integrated ecological buildings into the urban core, thus reducing the emission of greenhouse gases
The capital of Japan intends to install effective and sustainable systems that coordinate different sources of renewable energies for users. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) plans to install 27 million smart meters by 2025, in an effort that includes the entire city. This will also allow for the prevention of supply problems in case of natural disasters.
The citizens of the Icelandic capital are not particularly numerous (around 120,000) and, nevertheless, they have wanted to apply a plan for Smart City to access all its advantages and bet on a climate policy action plan that seeks to have eliminated all the carbon emissions by 2040. Worth noting are its energy-related proposals in a country with a vast potential for the use of renewable energies, such as geothermal energy. Indeed, through the implementation of sustainable initiatives, the entire country has successfully managed to source 70% of its consumption from renewable energies – a number that is much higher than anywhere else in the world.
The capital of Denmark, with a little over 600,000 inhabitants, set itself up to act as a test lab where the implementation of smart processes leads to a more habitable and sustainable city. In fact, in 2017 the Copenhagen Solutions Lab received an award for its system that controls air quality, energy consumption, and waste management. In 2016, Copenhagen announced that it would become the first city in the world to implement a Big Data system to manage public and private information. The main goal is to generate a zero-emissions city within the next few years, though this data center is also used for business innovation and more efficient management.
Between 2015 and 2019, the city developed an environment in the capital city known as EnergyLab to demonstrate, in the neighborhood of Nordhavn, how electricity, heating, and sustainable transportation can be integrated into an optimized system.
Berlin is the best-placed German city in the ranking, ranked number 7. Its best results are in mobility and transport, human capital, and international projection. On the contrary, the areas with the greatest room for improvement are the economy and the environment. The German city puts the focus of the project on residential homes. Within the intelligent solutions in terms of Smart City, the Smart City project, Future Living® Berlin, stands out. This program seeks a combination of ecological and sustainable life, driven by a digital and connected life.
Amsterdam has its own idiosyncrasy in many aspects. It is included among the top 10 Smart Cities due to its novel way to address problems. Since 2004, Amsterdam has been in contact with a Chief Technology Official who has implemented several initiatives. Among the most expected we can find the generation of an automated bicycle sharing system. In addition, an iterative way of working has been highly valued, testing projects as a prototype to then add improvements, as is the case of garbage collection in the city, or the payment of parking spaces by phone instead of parking meters.
Singapore is one of the most technological cities in the world and is included among the top 10 Smart Cities due to its great strides in this regard. Singapore has positioned itself at the forefront of a vast number of amazing innovations. It has developed the first Smart Hospital, where part of its staff is composed of robots and it leverages the potential of Big Data in healthcare. Starting in 2019, the first driverless taxis appeared as a pilot project. In addition, they have developed Virtual Singapore as a Digital Twin – a virtual model of the city updated in real-time that enables the detection of trends and testing solutions to various challenges.
Recently, the city of Dubai has launched a seven-year plan to digitally transform all government services in the city. This plan includes communication systems, transportation, urban planning, etc. Through its DubaiNow application, Artificial Intelligence is put at the service of citizens, digitizing services and making them accessible to all.
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