Page 39 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

3.3 People in the city

Smart cities rely on intelligence and intelligence can be interpreted in three different ways. First,
intelligence can mean information. Smart technologies provide opportunities to collect detailed
information about the city, the people in it, and how it is functioning. Second, intelligence can
mean the ability of technologies that use machine learning and sophisticated analysis techniques
to detect patterns and build understandings of how a city is functioning. But perhaps the most
important meaning of intelligence is the third one, and that is the judgement and interpretation that
people bring to the conditions of cities. This section focuses on the role of people in the smart city.

Cities are made up of the people who live in them as well as the people who pass through them.
People run the smart city, and occupy the city as residents and visitors. People contribute to the
economic life of cities, both through running businesses and as customers for those businesses.
They live in the city and take part in the many activities that make up the functioning of the city.

People need cities as places to live, but they also come to cities in search of economic and social
opportunities, as well as improved quality-of-life. From cities, people expect services such as
housing and access to power, water, healthcare and transportation. They also look for cities that
offer them opportunities, such as education, employment, and recreational facilities. People want
to feel a sense of belonging in a city and feeling safe is a high priority. Smart cities pay attention to
these expectations and how best to meet them in the interests of all their stakeholders.

On the other hand, cities need people; without people, cities die. While for growing cities, a rapidly
increasing population is a problem, many cities struggle with declining populations and face the
challenge of attracting people to live in them. The smart city literature has been concerned with
how cities attract a specific class of people, knowledge workers, or people with particular skills
that can support plans and initiatives for competitiveness and economic growth. But for many
cities, there is little choice in who their residents are, and cities have to find ways to thrive with the
residents they have.

People provide ideas, as well as the energy to carry them out. Smart cities take advantage of the
capabilities of residents, building their capacities, as well as establishing networks and partnerships
to harness the energy and inventiveness of residents, including businesses. Engaged and active
city residents are key to the success of Smart cities and for this, people need to be empowered to
engage with the city. Prerequisites for people to take part in the smart city have been identified.
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They include:

• Technology infrastructure (reliable electricity, affordable Internet access).

• Access to technology (access to affordable, effective devices).

• Skills and capacities (digital literacy, learning opportunities, empowerment).
• Rights (access to information, privacy and anonymity, freedom of speech).

• Trust (in technology, in technology suppliers, in data custodians, in government).

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