L'Arca International N° 111

March / April 2013

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Smart citizens

 

One of the most popular topics at the moment at conferences and other debates on the development and guidelines for the future for cities all over the world is, unquestionably, the design of "Smart Cities".

 

The idea or utopian dream is to create a physically constructed urban fabric capable of encouraging the use of structures and technology, which, either together or individually, can raise the quality of life.

 

The idea is that an intelligent city can reconcile the miscellaneous needs of its citizens in terms of lifestyle, work, education, health and entertainment, thanks to the widespread and innovative use of TIC, Information and Communication Technology, particularly in the fields of communication, transport, education, the environment and energy efficiency.

 

It is obvious that the modern-day Communications Society, which is based around computer technology and telecommunications involving all kinds of different means of both local and global communication with the constant development of new technology affecting our everyday actions, determines and will increasingly determine how our living realms can be transformed from being the chaotic agglomeration of "things" and people they are now into designed, efficient and socially innovative "communities": where political intelligence and resources invested in technology will really affect the quality of life of its inhabitants.

 

If we do not popularise and teach people how to engage in and understand "smart living", it will be hard to achieve any concrete results. In order for a real transition towards "the Smart city" to actually come about, public administrations and central government must first become aware that, nowadays, our everyday lives are increasingly interconnected, genuinely understanding the scale of the problem and then quickly allocating resources for converting projects into real things.

 

These are most definitely valid and "smart" growth prospects and ideas, but we must never forget or lose sight of the fact that that both software design and projects for urban structures are people-centric. So perhaps we first need Smart Citizens before we can create Smart cities.

 

Cesare Maria Casati