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The term ‘Smart City’ has been around since the 1990’s and various definitions have emphasized different aspects of the term. Common elements among these definitions are that ‘Smart Cities’ use information – communication technology (ICT) (i.e. e. bricks) to engage citizens, to deliver city services, and to enhance urban systems. A smart city is designed to optimize residents’ quality of life by leveraging technology and integrating several essential functions like managing citizens’ data, intelligent transportation, public safety and security among others. Primarily, smart city deployments come with multiple features and state-of-the-art technologies (ICT implementations) and comprise of diverse ecosystems of technology providers.

Improve quality of life

Because smart cities use a variety of technologies to deliver connected solutions for residents, these municipalities are great places to live and work. These urban areas offer shorter commutes, smart parking, easy-to-access transportation systems, safer streets, public Wi-Fi, green spaces, cleaner air, enhanced resident services and plentiful economic opportunities. These technologies create a positive impact on the life of the citizens as they make things reliable and easier for them. It all adds up to a higher quality of life for the smart city’s population.

Optimise operations

Technology doesn’t just improve the lives of residents – it also allows government agencies to streamline operations. Government agencies in smart cities have access to modern digital infrastructure that allows them to share open data, tap into real-time insights and promote cross-agency collaboration. This enables government organisations to increase productivity, empower employees and enhance citizen services.

Deliver better services

With on-going advancements in modern technology, the community has come to expect simple, secure and accessible services. Smart cities deliver reliable, trusted and user-friendly services that put people at the center of experiences – all while securing sensitive public information. The residents in these smarter cities enjoy modern utilities, intelligent transportation and trusted digital experiences.

Reduced environmental footprint

With the gradual rise in global warming, greenhouse effect, debris in oceans and trash in streets, smart cities are making an effort to fight against the adverse effects of the environment. The energy-efficient building, air-quality sensors, and renewable energy resources are providing an alternative to cities to shrink the ecological impact. Smart cities are tapping into digital solutions to boost energy efficiency, monitoring and managing pollution, emission reduction, water management, and accelerating the local energy transition. City government manages the built and natural environment to improve liveability for citizens and visitors.

Fuel economic growth

Urban areas have always been critical hubs for trade and commerce. Today, smart cities are accelerating economic growth by investing in intelligent technologies. Businesses are drawn to these modern municipalities because they deliver better communication networks, enhanced mobility, reliable infrastructure, easy-to-use services and larger pools of potential customers and employees. Plus, smart cities provide access to valuable customer data and insights, allowing businesses to make more informed, strategic decisions.

Improved transportation

Smart cities around the world are driving digital transformation in transportation to improve their infrastructure, modernise public transport and enable multimodal logistical operations. These cities are using connected digital solutions to monitor traffic conditions in real time improving traffic flow and reducing congestions, simplify toll and parking payment collection and empower transportation employees to serve the community more efficiently in the field. Smart technology can also alert residents to use public transit during off-hours. Public transit riders can track their bus or train locations and change routes if needed.

Improved infrastructure

Aging roads, bridges, buildings often require a large amount of investment to maintain and repair over their service lives. Smart technology can provide cities with predictive analytics to identify the areas that need to be fixed before the infrastructure failures. Smart sensors can deliver data showing the changes in the structure, identifying the cracks and tilts in the bridges or buildings and sends messages to notify personnel of the need for inspection and maintenance. These can help cities to save massive tax and prevent infrastructure failure.

Safer cities

Smart city technology like Wi-Fi, IoT, and surveillance cameras can improve resident safety and increase incident response times. Law enforcement can benefit from detailed and fast information provided by license plate recognition, connected crime centers, and body cameras. New surveillance camera features like facial recognition, fire, and smoke alarm capabilities, and even locking and unlocking of doors all help lower the risk of crime. These technologies work together to make communities safer.

Improved energy efficiency and health

With a limited supply of natural resources available to meet human demand, smart technologies are giving cities the tools needed to effectively conserve and reduce the inadvertent waste of water and electricity. Smart sensors now allow cities to quickly identify leaks in pipes and fix damaged segments in a shortened time frame, reducing the amount of water lost. Smart electric grids also allow for two-way communication between electricity providers and consumers to help better identify times of peak usage and outages. Street lights with LED technology adjust or dim based on real-time data. Homes equipped with smart energy meters reward residents’ reduced energy consumption.

In terms of health, air-quality sensors can identify pollution sources and provide action steps to reduce emissions. Residents’ ability to consult with their doctor via video conference and life-saving, timely messages regarding vaccinations or sanitation can also help community health.

Effective data-driven decision making

To access overall information of the city, advancement in “big data” and connected devices has played a significant role. A well-designed data analytics strategy helps the city officials to access the massive amount of data covering the whole city. There is a rise in service levels when the city can monitor desired metrics in real-time.

Effective big data applications make it easier to lessen the risk factors in the city; it helps to identify and staff the police in high-risk areas, as well as they can forecast and plan for expansion in the citywide population growth and identify trends, interests, concerns, and needs of the citizens. This enables stronger decision making and enhances the lives of residents by cutting down costs and improving services.