Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The upsurge in the creation of urban developments has created an increased demand for
sustainable and intelligent environments that can reduce pollution and improve the quality of life.
Smart cities are one of the conspicuous creations of the 21 st century that have brought together
societies, governments and technology all in one sitting (Milićević and Ilić, 2014). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment. What’s more, smart cities aim at providing the most basic and essential infrastructure that can in turn offer decent living to the people in the immediate community (Milićević and Ilić, 2014). This basic infrastructure consists of a continuous and uninterrupted supply of social amenities such as water, electricity, collection of waste and garbage. At the same time, smart cities are also characterized by the ability to have urban modes of transport such as buses as well as a strong and robust connection of information technology services and the internet (Doran and Daniel,
2015). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The inclusion of e-governance is a fundamental part of smart cities as it allows the
participation of citizens in country issues and upholds their security and safety. Smart cities are
mainly characterized by the presence of smart economies, smart motilities, smart people, smart
living, smart environments as well as smart governance (Doran and Daniel, 2015). The
representation of all these features are captured in a nutshell as illustrated by the cyclic diagram
below.
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The creation of a smart environment and smart lifestyles stems from the fact that there is
a global trend that indicates most of the population lives in urban cities. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment. Moreover, it is projected
that more than half of the population in most continents will be living in the main capital cities of
their countries (Saint, 2014). In Africa, it is hypothesized that more than half of the entire
population will be living in major cities and towns. The projection of these figures indicates that
the world’s population is expected to grow at a rapid pace and reach over six billion in the next
fifteen years. As such, the creation of a smart environment is very important because it ensures
that the explosion of population is dealt with accordingly (Tranos and Gertner, 2012). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
This involves the construction of modern buildings, housing units and homes outside the
city to decongest the rising people. Additionally, smart cities also strive to reduce the high cost
of living that comes with too many people living in one area (Tranos and Gertner, 2012).
Smart cities are designed such that people are relocated to the outskirts of towns and cities
where houses and residential estates are built using modern technology. Additionally, a smart
environment is one that caters for the soaring levels of pollution that directly destroys the
immediate surroundings. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
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Smart city environments are also created in line with sustainability which is a concept
aimed at improving the areas where people live. Sustainability is one of the long-term goals of
the smart city concept and it aims at protecting and preserving the environment for the present
and future generations (Boulos et al, 2015). What’s more, sustainability is geared towards
ensuring that natural resources are not exploited and that there is enough for every community.
Additionally, smart environments are also characterized by the improvement of the natural
conditions such that the available resources are well utilized. One of the ways in which resources
are diversified is the adoption of renewable sources of energy (Das and Kaushik, 2015). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The use of alternatives such as solar power, electricity and wind power is very beneficial
when compared to use of fossil fuels and petroleum. The use of electricity has been adopted such
that vehicles are now being designed with rechargeable batteries. This vehicles are more
effective and they emit less pollutants into the environment (Dale and Kyle, 2015). Moreover,
these vehicles are assembled such that they do not produce toxic gases or fumes to the
atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and butane are major contributors towards
the pollution of environments. As such, the smart city concept of sustainability is able to ensure
that this problem is mitigated (Baron, 2012). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
Smart cities are also characterized by the presence of various forms of smart
technologies. The latter makes use of modern innovations such as internet connectivity,
computer systems and applications to create a better society or country. Furthermore,
information technology is also applied in the making of more efficient infrastructure such as
roads, railways and other transport systems (Das and Kaushik, 2015). This allows better
accessibility at both the local and national level. The roads are designed such that there are
numerous lane that can accommodate vehicles moving in one direction. What’s more, these roads are also fitted with the latest technology such as cameras and traffic lights that are meant to
ensure automobiles and cars flow smoothly. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
In countries such as France, Germany and Australia, implementation of smart technology
has been used in creation of better transport services within the modern cities (Dutt, 2015). For
instance, smart parking has been made possible such that there are software systems that can
alert the car drivers when a free parking spot is available within a given location. This means that
the citizens in these countries will no longer waste their time looking for places to park.
Moreover, it also means pollution will be minimized because the process of looking for parking
is simplified (Marsal et al, 2014). The time taken to look for parking spots is directly
proportional to the rate of emission of toxic gases such as carbon dioxide. Hence, the creation of
this application shall assist towards the enhancement of smart cities. Additionally, smart
technology is also used to create intelligent systems of transport (Gresh, 2013). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
This allows various forms of public transport to be interconnected and networked so that
information on times of travel is provided in real time. At the same time, this modern technology
also improves the efficiency of traffic management (Marsal et al, 2014). This is through the
introduction of contemporary systems of monitoring roads such that drivers can be informed on
the status of the roads. This means that they can be able to known which roads are hit hard by
traffic and the alternative routes to use (Gresh, 2013). At the same time, smart traffic
management allows the traffic lights to be automatically operated such that they can help in
minimizing congestion on the roads. The provision of smart solutions is another major
characteristic of smart cities where the delivery of services to citizens will be done in an efficient
manner (Kamel et al, 2015).This will mainly involve use of electronic sources such as emails and social sites to
communicate to the populace. In addition, the access to public information by the local residents
is eased by the smart city concept since technology is significantly advanced. Smart cities also
include smart economies where a diverse range of entrepreneurial opportunities are made
possible. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.This means that any person with a viable idea can be allowed to set up their business so
as to improve the state of the economy (Mone, 2015). In addition, smart economies allow
increased production because more people are able to participate in active business ventures. The
end result is that there is positive progression of the economy and flexibility within the labor
market. At the same time, the concept of smart economies is one of the ideal ways of promoting
the culture of innovation such that people do not always have to think of being employed. In
addition, smart economies allows people to create their own jobs and ways of earning a decent
living (Gontar et al, 2013). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
Smart cities cannot exist without the presence of smart people, which is another
important characteristic. Smart people refer to individuals who have a culture of living that
allows for long-life learning, creativity and the participation of the community (Gresh, 2013).
In addition, smart people are also identified through the ability of diversification in the social
and ethnic circles. This means that these individuals can come together for a noble cause to
celebrate events such as community awareness, trade fairs and talent exhibitions (Gontar et al,
2013). This feature allows people to adapt, learn and also create better methods that can be
geared towards improving the state of the city. Smart cities are also structured such that the local
citizens can interact with their government on a first-hand basis.Some countries have been known to design smart cities that allow institutions to solve the
common community based issues and concerns (Sofronijević et al, 2014). Moreover, other cities
have the potential to establish platforms such that innovation can be clustered according to
counties, districts or regions. For instance, Australia and Japan have clustered their districts
according to innovation such that people can know the areas to visit when they want a given
service. They have categorized these areas in terms of cyber spots, science cities and
experimental facilities (Singh, 2015). This allows the geographical zones to be identified in
terms of the best social amenities and services they can provide. The feature of smart living is
another important characteristic of smart cities where the standards of living are improved
significantly. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
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This means that facilities used in the provision of education, promotion of culture and
health are of a high quality. In addition, smart living allows people to have better quality when it
comes to housing, social integration as well as leisure activities. The concept of smart living is
very important because it allows people of diverse backgrounds to interact and socialize freely
(Singh, 2015). This engagement can allow them to exchange ideas such that they can be able to
improve their immediate society. The creation of smart cities has brought a lot of improvements
when it comes to reducing the levels of crime since technology has heightened and harnessed the
systems of security. In addition, cultural clashes that were common in urban cities are minimized
with the creation of smart cities (Dutt, 2015). Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The latter brings with it a cosmopolitan area of residence such that people trace their
origin from diverse cultures. As such, the urban environment is improved since there is better
interaction with the inhabitants. This is in addition to services such as smart communities, smart
networks and self-awareness digital hubs (Marsal et al, 2014). The combination of all these characteristics and features allows smart cities to be considered as one of the most ingenious
creations and innovations of the 21 st century.
Conclusion
The smart city concept is an invention of the modern era that strives to improve the living
standards in most urban towns and districts. The driving force behind smart cities is the idea that
digital forms of technology are used to enhance the performance and quality of the provision of
urban related services. This approach does a lot towards the reduction of costs, environmental
pollution as well as exploitation of resources. This in turn allows the citizens to be actively
engaged in the transformation of most towns and cities. The major characteristics of smart cities
include smart technology, smart environments, smart living, smart people as well as smart
technology. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The combination of all these features allows a country to scale upwards such that the
flow of urban service management is enhanced and people are enable to respond to challenges
within real time. The feature of smart environment rhymes accordingly with sustainability which
aims at protecting the atmosphere for the present and future generations. This is mostly done
through reduction of industrial, noise and water pollution that is mainly brought about by
manufacturing industries and operation of motor vehicles. Additionally, smart environments also
aim at utilizing alternative sources of energy such as electricity and solar power that are
renewable at the same time. Smart City Characteristics- A Literature Review Assignment.
The creation and development of smart cities stems from the fact that the global
population continues to increase at a rapid pace. As such, there is an urgent need to decongest the
major cities so that the standard and quality of life is maintained at a right level. This concept is anticipated to be adopted by most countries and states so that the life of future generations can be
assured.
References
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