Smart cities and their residents: Navigating the cities of the future

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• July 20, 2022

Insight summary

Smart cities leverage technology and data to enhance urban living, but their success depends on a shift towards citizen-centered design and transparency. While initially focused on technology, recent initiatives prioritize resident engagement to address privacy concerns. This approach not only ensures equitable benefits but also leads to regulatory oversight, sustainable practices, and increased consumer trust in smart city initiatives.

Smart cities and resident context

A smart city is a technologically enabled urban environment that integrates the widescale collection of data with a range of modern technologies to optimize how people live in urban environments. This framework could theoretically lead to a utopia-like city where big data and “Big Brother” merge to improve public services. However, in practice, there are risks involved that some experts argue could be disastrous in a worst-case scenario. 

As an alternative, many urban planners are promoting more human-centered designs as these new, technologically-enabled areas are conceptualized. To build smart cities, what is required is not more or better technology but social transformation and improved organizing methods. Some cities have created frameworks to address these organizational issues. But many continue to struggle, leading some smart city initiatives to stall, close down, or restructure considerably. Consequently, these locales have lost time, money, and, more importantly, the trust of their residents.

Smart city initiatives have pivoted more towards the needs of citizens since the late 2010s after local governments realized that the earlier obsession with placing technology first had failed. Smart city developers are now focusing on user-centered designs and engaging with citizens to get their buy-in for data collection and other initiatives. There is some resistance from residents to innovative developments, as they are concerned about privacy and data security. However, many local leaders feel these concerns must be addressed to create equitable and inclusive smart cities.

Disruptive impact

One major reason for the focus on residents is the realization that many of the smart city benefits, such as shorter commute times, faster 911 responses, and lower asthma rates, are often not visible to the average person on the street. For a city to be truly “smart,” all stakeholders must be considered: citizens, businesses, city officials, and technologists. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. Many urban residents often do not understand what a “smart city” is.

Depending on the country, some urban residents may view these initiatives as government ploys to spy on them or for businesses to take advantage of them. There is also some resentment towards large corporations leading smart city development. To address these concerns, smart city developers are increasingly adopting a more holistic approach to urban development, breaking down information silos and making data open and accessible. This shift allows citizens to understand and experience the benefits of smart city initiatives directly. 

Boston is a notable example of a city that has embraced these resident-first principles. The city published a Smart City Playbook outlining its plans for interacting with vendors and potential technologies. Boston is also committed to transparent communication with its residents about its smart city plans.

Implications of smart cities and their residents

Wider implications of novel planning approaches to building smart cities may include: 

• Greater citizen involvement in shaping urban technology choices, influencing data usage policies, and fostering community-driven smart city development.
• Enhanced transparency in urban planning, with city planners openly disclosing automation levels in new city districts, fostering informed public engagement.
• Optional use of biometric authentication methods like fingerprint and facial recognition for accessing public services, respecting privacy preferences of residents.
• Heightened regulatory oversight and stringent monitoring of autonomous systems, such as self-driving vehicles, potentially leading to measured industry progression.
• A growing "techlash" movement as civil rights organizations increasingly resist intrusive technologies, particularly widespread public surveillance.
• The emergence of more sustainable business models driven by circular economy principles, contributing to eco-friendly consumption and production trends.
• Government enactment of legislation to balance innovation with data privacy protection, bolstering consumer trust in the evolving smart city landscape.

Questions to consider

• Do you think smart cities are overstepping their boundaries regarding data privacy violations?
• What new or enhanced services would your ideal smart city offer you?