A Smart City is a city in which innovative, digital and sustainable technologies are used to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants, the use of public spaces and the development of businesses.
Furthermore, these technologies make it possible to make public services more efficient and to optimize the management of natural resources.
The problems of modern cities
Currently in Europe, over 3/4 of the population lives in large urban areas where various problems have persisted for some time: from those relating to vehicular traffic to those concerning environmental aspects which often affect the health of citizens.
Traditional cities, especially those with a high population density, are characterized by:
- difficulties related to car traffic congestion which leads to an increase in the cost of fuel and inconvenience to residents in terms of stress and delays;
- a strong consumption of natural resources (particularly water and energy) and a large production of waste that is difficult to manage given the scarcity of infrastructures dedicated to their correct disposal. Often, in fact, we witness the discovery of illegal landfills with consequent damage to the environment and human health;
- high tariffs for both energy supply and transport as a result of growing demand and limited infrastructure;
- high levels of pollution in the air and on the ground caused both by industrial activities and by car exhaust aggravated by traffic with worrying consequences for public health.
Tackling these problems means thinking of a different model of city which, making use of cutting-edge technologies, offers integrated solutions that allow the city to be governed in an optimized way.
Differences between a smart city and a traditional city
A smart city differs from a traditional city in several ways. From a practical point of view, the smart city presents an ingenious traffic management which, thanks to a network of sensors, optimizes the flow by moderating congestion.
Instead, as far as the use of resources such as electricity is concerned, the smart city has an intelligent public lighting control system that reduces the environmental impact and energy consumption.
Furthermore, a smart city can have video surveillance systems which, together with alarm and detection systems, guarantee greater public safety.
In general we can say that compared to a traditional city, a smart city: supports environmental sustainability (thanks to efficient management of resources and the adoption of renewable energy sources), supports social inclusiveness (through the creation of opportunities fair trade, regardless of the age, skills or background of its citizens), favors the economy and technological innovation (enhancing the growth of start-ups with modern projects and creating new economic opportunities) and improves the level of pollution in the air (through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the promotion of clean energy sources).
How a smart city works
A smart city has an integrated urban development approach. The smart city features sensors and devices for collecting data relating, for example, to traffic, energy consumption and air quality.
These sensors are organized in a "communication network" in which they interact both with each other and with the central system. The latter analyzes and uses the data collected to optimize city management such as traffic control or that of energy resources.
Citizens access the city's services and information digitally through an app or web portal.
As far as buildings are concerned, newly constructed ones (or existing ones undergoing redevelopment) in an intelligent city must also be smart. A building is smart when it is able to make its heating and lighting systems, plumbing, video surveillance systems, etc. communicate with each other, thus optimizing resources and providing maximum comfort at the same time to condominiums.
Smart cities often integrate their systems with those of businesses and local public bodies in order to have a complete vision of the city and its needs, better managing resources, improving public safety and making public services more efficient and accessible .
The advantages of a smart city
Living in a smart city is certainly advantageous both in terms of urban mobility (as moving within the city is easier and faster), and in terms of better access to public services such as health, education and social services.
Smart technologies, which allow energy to be managed more efficiently, reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions, help limit the environmental impact of cities, improving the quality of the air, water and soil and promoting a more sustainable lifestyle.
In a smart city, people's quality of life improves, as we are talking about more livable and cleaner cities; it also improves public safety with video surveillance systems that help prevent and solve crimes and emergency situations.
Smart cities also attract new investments that create more jobs, promoting innovation and economic growth.
Furthermore, the technologies used by smart cities help to increase transparency and accountability in city management and encourage the active participation of citizens, creating a more inclusive and cohesive community.
Examples of smart cities in Europe
Although the number of smart cities in the European continent is progressively increasing, at the moment, we find most of them in northern Europe where there are countries more open to digitization and more prone to innovations.
The two main examples of European smart cities to inspire are in Holland and Denmark.
Amsterdam, the capital of Holland (The Netherlands), is recognized as one of the most advanced smart cities in Europe with a strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.
The city uses combined technologies such as traffic light sensors and monitoring systems to manage traffic and energy consumption.
Amsterdam has a strong cultural element in sustainable mobility, establishing itself as the most bike-friendly city in Europe with an important network of cycle paths and a large fleet of rental bicycles.
Another example of a European smart city is Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. In Copenhagen, optimized systems are used for the management of water and energy resources and the city also has an air quality monitoring system that collects data in real time and provides information to citizens.
The theme of sustainable mobility is also very much felt in Copenhagen and in fact it has a network of cycle paths of 350 km that crosses it in response to an ever-growing willingness of its citizens to use the bicycle as a means of transport (already over 40%).
The Danish government has set up a sustainability plan that aims to bring Copenhagen and the whole of Denmark to climate neutrality by 2025.