“Urbanism works when it creates a journey as desirable as the destination.”
– Paul Goldberger

If today’s cities want to thrive – both today and in the future – then they need to solve challenges that affect the well-being of its citizens, which include, but are not limited to: resource wastage, cyber and street crime, preventive healthcare, and increasing sustainability. Only by doing so will they attract top-quality talent, and as a result, the attention of businesses and investors alike. The good news is that today’s disruptive innovations and technologies are more than ready to help cities become ‘smarter’ so they can tackle these big challenges – and increase the well-being of its citizens. 

United Nations predicts that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population will be living in cities. This estimate represents an additional 2.5 billion people adopting the urban lifestyle.

Are the cities of today ready to embrace, and more importantly, support this huge inflow of rural residents? Do they have the resources and the infrastructure in place to provide these people with basic needs such as food, water, and affordable housing? Are their roads ready to support even more traffic and congestion? Are there systems in place to prevent the inevitable rise in crime and pollution that will accompany an increasing population? 

Quite simply, most cities where this level of urbanisation is expected to hit – aren’t ready.

But as the cliche goes: every cloud has a silver lining. And for cities, that silver lining can be the disruptive cutting-edge innovations and technologies being developed today, particularly IoT, machine learning and blockchain to name a few (which are already being used in the business world to make everything from supply chains to mobility, and even customer service more effective). 

And just like the businesses which have (and still are) using these technologies to thrive, so can cities – to become better, safer, smarter and as a result, more well-equipped to support their growing population.

IoT: The Disruptive Technology At The Heart Of Smart Cities

Dwindling resources. Increased pollution. Lack of affordable housing. These are some of the many challenges today’s cities are trying to solve. But the solutions being used today to tackle these challenges are ineffective, in the sense that cities must always wait for a problem to crop-up first, instead of taking preventive measures in the first place.

The reason why cities operate on defense, instead of tackling challenges head-on – is due to a lack of actionable data.

Methods for regulating traffic more effectively are only thought of after the roads get congested. Solutions for affordable housing are implemented only after homelessness increases. Measures for reducing climate change are acted-on only when droughts and wildfires occur more frequently.

IoT can change this state of mind. It can enable cities to become smarter and take preventive measures instead of reactionary ones.

How IoT Can Make Dumb Cities Smart

IoT devices are equipped with sensors that collect specific kinds of data, with the ability to send it via the internet.  

For example, the city of Barcelona has equipped its roads with IoT-enabled LED street lamps. These street lamps can sense pedestrian movement and can dim or brighten accordingly. Besides, they sense and collect pollution data in the air – and because they are connected to the internet – send this information to the relevant city authorities. And lastly, these street lamps also provide free WiFi to nearby citizens.

This means with just one IoT device i.e. street lamps, the city of Barcelona can conserve energy, provide WiFi and gain data on pollution.

And this is just scratching the surface in regards to what IoT can do.

IoT devices can make cities smarter by:

• Detecting humidity and weather conditions in a location, thus helping determine the level of irrigation needed, helping make effective use of water. 
• Identifying weak infrastructure i.e. potholes, cracks, and strains on roads, buildings, and bridges – thus helping authorities prioritize their budget for urgent repairs. 
• Analyse the traffic on roads, and increase/decrease parking meter fees accordingly to reduce congestion.

How Machine Learning and AI Take IoT To The Next Level

IoT is the core component every city needs to become smart. But on its own, it can do little for cities, other than collect data via its sensors and send it over the internet. 

The real game-changing innovations that can unleash the true potential of IoT devices are Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). These two technologies, combined with IoT – are what can make a city actually smart. 

Using Machine Learning and AI To Turn Information Into Data

Data on its own provides little meaning. It’s only when it is converted to actionable information that can it be used. 

For example, an IoT enabled camera may record an image of a car accident. But, can it do something about it? Not on its own. To the IoT device, the car accident it is recording is meaningless. But with the power of AI and machine learning, the camera can identify that such an event calls for alerting emergency services and police, which can lead to many saved lives.

Also, such IoT devices can share information with logistics companies, driverless cars and trucks, thus helping them divert to a safer route. 

Thus, in this way, not only smart cities will be able to become safer for residents, but it will also help large-scale businesses and companies avoid incidents, thus curbing the loses they might face if they were to operate in a ‘dumb’ city.

And this is just one example of AI and machine learning in action. 

Another capability of these two innovative technologies is to make sense of the data IoT devices are collecting – and make increasingly accurate predictions.

For example, AI-enabled software can analyse trends in power usage in a particular neighbourhood and help municipal companies estimate the resources required with a particular time period. It can identify the most dangerous areas in the city which require more crime-monitoring – and more.

The Result

These are but a few use-cases which show how today’s disruptive technologies can make cities smarter. In this equation, Blockchain can be the ‘innovation glue’ that binds all these technologies together. 

These innovations, in essence, help by collecting valuable data which they make sense of themselves, and use the information within it to take immediate action which saves resources, predicts harmful incidents and overall helps the city management do their job with ease, which is to uplift its citizens by providing them their basic rights. 

And as a result, everyone wins. 

The politicians, for making the cities they were entrusted with safer and smarter. The companies and businesses, as the cities in which they operate become less risky. And most importantly, the citizens, whose daily lives become easier, and them, safer.