What Does a Human-Centric Future for Smart Cities Look Like?
The true value of smart cities is evolving. While they are important in stimulating economic activity and sustainability, increasingly, the new measure of a smart city’s success will be the holistic wellbeing of its citizens. In the past smart city technologies were thought of primarily as tools for improved efficiency behind the scenes. The need for this is clear - as growing populations and stretched infrastructure systems put unprecedented pressures on cities, smart cities provide a valuable tool, to use data and technology to improve quality of life. However, beyond this, as smartphones and connectivity transform the way we interact with our surroundings, putting instant information about traffic, health services, and community news into millions of hands, cities are recognising that effective smart city strategies start with people and not technology. In a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for cities to be resilient in the face of radical changes, will the true measure of success for smart cities be in their ability to improve the holistic wellbeing of its residents?
