Learning Lessons From New Smart Cities
The rapid expansion of cities powered by smart tech has become a reality that continues to develop at an increasingly growing pace. Along with the development of new technologies, one of the most important roles in the advancement (and eventual success) of these urban implementations resides in the local urban strategy, which is in charge of incorporating these advancements which simplify and make life more efficient for city residents.
The likes of 5G, automation and the production of renewable energies have accelerated developments that most folk would have been hard pressed to imagine just a few years ago. And the perfect marriage between these solutions can only happen when the most eager of urban planners are ready to implement them into their ongoing strategies.
GDR recently published an article that looks at five game-changing innovations that take smart cities some serious leaps into the future. From the private initiatives of Toyota’s Woven City (a hydrogen-powered prototype city at the base of Mount Fuji) or Nissan’s Chaya Café in Yokohoma (which will be powered by energy from visitors’ electric cars), to Saudi Arabia’s Linear City or Xiong’an, China’s post-covid Self-Sufficient City, there are some very identifiable, key running themes that connect all of these projects.
While I recently spoke about the benefits of small communities as testbeds for smart cities, the five projects mentioned in GDR’s article are smart cities built from scratch. They bring together a combination of public planning, private investment, and the obvious advantage of building entire infrastructures that are solely based on new technologies and meet the needs for modern, sustainable living: one of the toughest challenges for large, long established cities.
However, where there’s a challenge, there’s opportunity. Established communities carry with them a heritage and historical importance that we cannot allow to be lost. Cities like Dubrovnik and Alba Iulia know this well. And while projects like Woven City or Greater Springfield provide a gateway into the future, allowing us to see what new smart communities look like, existing cities should pay close attention and learn the valuable lessons that these will provide for the world at large. At the end of the day, the foundations of new cities are built on the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t from established communities, so it only makes sense for the relationship to be reciprocal.
I’m excited to watch the development of these new cities closely, and seeing the positive impact on our communities as we build a bright new future together.
