Thursday, March 21, 2013

Smart cities - Call for critical re-evaluation of the "smart city" concept, including its role within its region

Cisco's Shane Mitchell writes in What is a City, and How Does it Get Smarter? that:
  • The critical issue is how to move beyond visions and prototypes, to scaling and adoption;
  • The whole notion of smart cities should also be reappraised; and
  • Third, the Internet of Everything Economy will fuel a transformation across communities, industries, and social interactions.
... the U.K. government’s Future Cities Catapult initiative is taking strides to develop a Smart City exemplar with the city of Glasgow, and engaging many other cities. Just this month, the government further announced an investment of £50 million into the setup of a U.K. Future Cities Catapult center in London. More expansive to the wider economy is the parallel Connected Digital Economy Catapult.
Mitchell notes:
There is a clear need for a better dialogue — a learning cities approach — as outlined by my colleagues at the Academy of Urbanism (AoU), and by Tim Campbell in Beyond Smart Cities. How can a country, community, and an integrated regional ecosystem step beyond political boundaries to release the power of enterprise and entrepreneurship. In short, we need to rethink our definitions, develop resilient communities, and support those who are developing new models for public and individual entrepreneurship.

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