Trantor. If you ever read Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, you know what I'm talking about. An enormous metropolis, hyper-technological and hyper-connected (though the Internet had yet to be invented when the books were first published), relying on such a delicate equilibrium that, when the decline of the fictional galactical
But what exactly do we mean by smart city? There are different visions here, but the leading one has a lot to do with the so-called Internet of Things. As the Commission's Vice-President, Neelie Kroes, said: "every city already generates huge amounts of information, for many different purposes. But too often that information is lost. It’s time to get smart and start using it". So, following this line of thought, the concept has to do with gathering information, and how you manage it. To collect and use information, you need sensors and to make the best of it, you also need a centralized, electronical "brain".
One of the best examples of this at work, in Europe, is Barcelona. The city, which recently won the European Capital of Innovation prize, set up by the European Commission, is packed with sensors and innovative projects. Two of them have been financed by the European Regional Development Fund: the first, "E-JUSTICIA.CAT" allows the Ministry of Justice to connect online with other administrations (police, hospitals, prisons) and lawyers so that citizens are able to receive information or request via a simple online procedure. The second project XALOC, launched in 2010, consists in the development of an ICT platform to detect free parking spaces and locate vehicles.
The network's sensors are located on the ground directly in the middle of the car park space. The sensors detect whether the space is occupied or not and send information via internet to a central station. The server processes this information and sends it to indication panels located in the street which display the information in real time. Advanced communication techniques are used to send guidance data to the network. More recently, another parking solution, WeSmartPark was developed by a private entrepreneur, Jaume Mayor. It relies on a network of private parking spaces that use sensor to transmit their status - occupied or available - and on a smartphone app that allows customers to book them when they are free. The Catalan city also manages smartly trash bins and parks' irrigation. The cans are equipped with sensors that alert garbage truck when they are full, whilst the quantity of water used in the parks is adjusted according to the moisture in the soil, meteorological data and rain gauges. This helps to save water and reduce the bills, so much so that the municipality hopes to reduce its irrigation costs by 25%.
Barcelona is perhaps the most advanced European example, but many other city are following its trail. Copenhagen is well-known for its sustainable mobility solutions and has the ambition of becoming the first carbon neutral capital by 2025.
In Santander, Spain, the municipality deployed 2,000 sensors on streetlights and buildings to monitor temperature, carbon monoxide levels, noise, light and traffic; Hamburg, in Germany, has just reached an agreement with Cisco to work, among other things, on the idea of a "smart port", with a fully integrated traffic management system allowing an optimized flow of cars and trucks. London, Amsterdam, Stockholm and others, have all taken steps in similar directions. The goals are noble: to reduce emissions and traffic, save energy, make the urban landscape a more comfortable place to live in. So, why are some people still bothered by this initiatives? Mainly for two reasons: privacy and vulnerability.
Privacy concerns are strictly related to the network of sensors deployed and the wealth of information that they produce. It could be used to find a parking spot, but also for surveillance. As long as the goal is to fight crime, it's all right. But what happens when this same technology is used to spy on innocent citizens. As we should all know by know, after Snowden, it's not only a theoretical issue.
Also strictly related, is the theme of vulnerability. What if someone hacks the "brain" that controls the city, or even just part of it? What if the flow of data becomes so intense it's impossible to manage? The fact the cities are bound to become increasingly connected could also mean that a failure in one sector could lead to problems in others. What kind of backstops and safety features could be put in place to avoid a domino scenario? These are all questions that need to be answered, before embracing too enthusiastically the indubitable benefits of the smart city's approach. Else, Trantor is just a shot away.
