Public Sector Sustainability
How smart are our smart cities? Why Built Environment professionals will be at the forefront of creating sustainable, social and smart city environments
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smart city is a city which integrates technology to manage its assets, including waste management, transportation systems, and services such as hospitals and schools. The intended result is the more efficient management of, and a reduction in, overall resources; the promotion of sustainable growth; and an improvement in the quality of life and work environments for citizens. In turn, this can enhance a city’s ability to attract and engage talent - and, with it, commerce, investment, learning and creativity. Smart cities also have the potential to counteract the effects of expanding urban populations throughout the world upon people, places and things, which pose a considerable threat to the environment and quality of life. Currently, around 4 billion people (54% of the world’s population) live in cities, and this number is predicted to rise to 5 billion by 2030, which equates to 6 out of 28
Sustainability
10 people. Furthermore, the UN estimates that urban areas account for 70% of the world’s GDP and therefore, it’s crucial for cities to have a strategy which prevents the risks caused by the predicted growth in urban populations. Such issues include: rising pollution; the inefficiency of services; and increasing resource consumption to the detriment of the environment; quality of life; and, ultimately, the economy of the affected areas. From looking at examples of work already implemented, the future seems to lie in a community approach to smart city design, rather than a top-down approach dictated by government or wholly influenced by technology companies. Barcelona is an example of the latter, where an initial approach avoided communication with residents - and therefore, created a lack of comprehension and trust. Involvement of the local community has since improved understanding and, hence, engagement. Songdo in South Korea is an example of
a smart city built from scratch on reclaimed land. However, many argue Songdo is not a successful smart city due to poor public transport links and technology which is already becoming outdated. A report by Dr Adarsh Varma for BuroHappold Engineering states, ‘...some cities do better than others. Singapore, Stockholm, Curitiba, and Copenhagen have shown that compact, high density, connected cities can go hand in hand with economic growth. These cities also have high ‘investment attractiveness’ and ‘ease of doing business’ and ‘quality of life’ indices. The question is how cities that are lagging far behind can improve their performance to catch up with rivals.’ The first step is to reduce the need for resource consumption and as BuroHappold reflects, ‘creating smart cities is a complex, longterm process’ which requires an ‘integrated approach’. Designing low-carbon buildings - which are sustainable and avoid unnecessary impact on the environment
Building & Facilities Management – January 2018