The evergrowing importance of sustainability issues has recently attracted much attention from the public. Technology is commonly viewed as the key to this problem since it has been filling the gap, which could not be addressed before.
That is why we have witnessed the emergence of the smart city concept. Smart cities development is quickly progressing in many parts of the world, which is focused on the improvement of citizens’ life quality. Smart cities use innovation, infrastructure, and technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut down energy consumption, and achieve a higher level of environmental sustainability. All these advancements not only save natural resources and consistently keep materials and products at their highest possible value, they are also changing the citizen’s experience for the better. By reading this article, you will get a better understanding of how the smart city concept could make your life easier in the nearest future.
- Smart Transportation
Smart cities allow citizens to become more mobile as getting to work and from work would be a much less stressful experience. Congestion has become a major problem in large cities since the average city dweller spends as much as 15% of driving time in traffic jams. Smart transportation systems, on the other hand, allow for dealing with this problem by using sensors to detect bottlenecks and congestion in traffic patterns in real-time. As a result, this smart city concept will smooth your experience by decreasing road traffic, time wasted, and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, by coordinating with smart parking meters, smart transportation systems will inform you of where there is parking availability. By using real-time data, transport apps can also offer you the quickest route to your destination, shortening your daily commute time.
- Smart Education
Smart education is another smart city concept that can make your life better and easier in the nearest future. It is about providing citizens with opportunities to improve the quality of their lives by guaranteeing a sustainable education and safety. The role of information and communication systems (ICTs) in the education system is growing. The establishment of an ICT centre in every education establishment, provision of students with e-learning opportunities, use of smartphone for learning, and smart libraries are only a few examples of how the smart city concept improves the quality of education and makes it more accessible. If you are thinking of getting an academic degree or going back to university, these technological advancements can make it easier for you to achieve this goal.
- Smart Economy
The injection of technology in cities and their infrastructure is associated with certain economic benefits, which can make your life easier. Through automation, it is possible to lessen human engagement in certain tasks, which results in cost savings as well as fewer errors. In 2014, Barcelona made big savings of around €75 million by automating its smart water, parking, and lighting management areas. At the individual level, the smart city concept can also provide citizens with economic benefits. Cloud computing, e-commerce, the internet of things (IoT), and big data are among the smart economy tools that can improve your flexibility and allow for performing tasks in a much faster and more effective manner, saving your time and money.
- Smart Environment
Given the issue of sustainability is becoming more and more crucial in today’s world, ensuring liveable conditions within cities has become an important aspect of the smart city concept. Smart alternatives to transport, including smart bike-riding services, smart-ride sharing, and self-driving vehicles not only add to one’s mobility and flexibility, they reduce carbon emissions and lead to more efficient energy consumption. Smart city solutions, such as energy use optimisation, air quality monitoring, and waste tracking also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the quality of citizens’ life. Once introduced, smart technologies could improve the key indicators of environmental sustainability up to 30%, according to McKinsey Global Institute.
- Smart People
Smart cities cannot exist without their citizens. It is people who ensure the development of smart cities progresses effectively. With the rapid development of the IoT concept, citizens are becoming more and more connected with each other. As a result, they get access to more information and become more knowledgeable. That is why public wireless technology is of crucial importance when it comes to creating smart people. By sharing information using social media, mobile apps, and other technological advancements, smart citizens can significantly add to the sustainability of their city.
Although the smart city concept has been around for 20 years, smart city technologies still have a largely unrealised potential to improve the quality of citizens’ life. If properly implemented, these technologies can bring great benefits in terms of education, health, safety, time, and living cost. They can also bring huge improvements in the environmental sector and promote the idea of sustainable city development.
Author bio
Ellie Richards is an online Marketing Manager for Original PhD, specialising in PhD research paper help. She specialises in research, content and article writing on various topics, including Education, Marketing, and Technology.