Survey

Background:

Definition of a ‘Smart City’: A Smart City is an urban development vision to integrate multiple information and communication technology solutions in a secure fashion to manage the city’s assets, eg. Local departments, schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, law enforcement, and other community services. The goal of a smart city is to improve the quality of life by using technology to improve the efficiency of services.

We are using the survey as a mechanism to obtain information and opinion on whether or not the public has knowledge on Smart Cities and how the cities can be beneficial to their communities and in their lives.

Survey Analysis:

Question 1:

Majority of the students that took the survey choose the option that said: “A city that has been properly integrated with technology in order to make citizens lives easier.” This shows that the public is aware of the full capabilities of a smart city.

Question 2:

100% of the individuals that participated in the survey chose the option that said: “Very costly.” showing that people understand that the implementation of a smart city is not cheap.

Question 3:

The votes were split between the government and education departments, showing the public’s view on which sectors require the most improvement.

Question 4:

The percentage of answers varied on this question showing that there are many developments that a smart city can create.

Question 5:

The votes were split on this one as some people believed different things.

Question 6:

Once again the vote was split on this between two different alternatives as people shared different views on the topic. The votes leaned towards the public thinking that the implementation of a smart city would cause a divide in society.

Question 7:

The votes were split but majority of the individuals believed that Smart Cities would create a better environment and improve social awareness.

Question 8:

Majority of the individuals believed that Smart cities would be more informed on environmental issues if Smart Cities were introduced.

Question 9:

The Smart City that most individuals were aware of was Berlin.

Question 10:

The biggest obstacles that seem to stand in the way of Smart Cities are financing, government and public opinion. Individuals also brought forward that infrastructure would be a hard obstacle to overcome.

 

Goma – Potential Smart City

Situated in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Goma is the capital of the province North Kivu. The city which has an estimated population of one million inhabitants in 2012, is located in the northern shore of the Lake Kivu next to Gisenyi a Rwandan city.

Goma is seen as the battlefield of the ¨Congo War¨ though it used to be a peaceful tourist city. Meanwhile, the city can still be rebuilt with the Nyiragongo volcano, valleys and mountains offering a large touristic site. The Lake Kivu contains a great amount of methane gas of which the benefits have never been explored (read more at https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Methane) Goma possess four percent of the world’s cassiterite (Tin Ore) and the main reason of the current civil war; tantalum (coltan) the principal material in electronics component. Goma has sufficient mineral wealth for an upgrade to a smart city.

Although the city’s development has slightly improved compared to the last few years, it is still struggling with many issues such as “The War For Minerals” leading to the population- mostly women and children- to be exposed to violence, diseases and the so-called phenomenon “Child Soldier”. Better health care, education, more acceptable working conditions, jobs other than mining, a fair remuneration and a more efficient security system have become a necessity in Goma.

By exploring what the city has to offer in the right ways; the implementation of a “smart city” in Goma will not only improve its economy but will also change the lifestyle of the city and the public would look forward to a new life and a better future powered by technology.

Author : Mwange Baruti

References: Wikipedia / https://conradiatioe.wordpress.com/2008/11/11the-curse-of-congos-mineral-wealth/ The Africa report *no 13 * October/November 2008

 

 

Silicon Valley, San Francisco the Bay Area

With Silicon Valley nearby it is no wonder San Francisco is one of the world’s leading innovative and technological hubs. A smart city has all to do with what San Francisco has to offer from a technological and environmental perspective.

Being a technology hub, The City of San Francisco provides its residents with free Wifi hotspots all around Market Street and many other places in the city.

Furthermore, San Francisco excels in its green and sustainability initiatives. It is a global leader in recycling, energy conservation and smart cars. They suggest that all residents; separate their garbage into three categories: recycling, compost, and waste, participate in energy conservation by providing mobile and web access for free and advice on how they can save energy to the max through solar power. As well as 100 charging stations for smart cars in various locations to promote the use of hybrid and electric cars and reduce automobile-related pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

In the United States, the Government has implemented a Smart City initiative which helps cities like San Francisco implement their own rules and regulations towards technological advancement and environmental sustainability.

Some of the Smart City initiatives are; The Eco-distric initiative which is a commitment to the dramatic reductions in energy and water use in commercial buildings – 50% by 2030, The Treasure Island Eco-City which is a concept for a sustainable urban community which includes multiple units of housing, an artificial wetland area integrated with water treatment, wind power, recreation and gardening areas, a marina, and a small shopping district.

http://www.SFEnvironment.org, a website run by the city, provides information on green initiatives, some tips to help residents go green, and green car-free transportation routes to help residents reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a low cost rate.

By using technology to advance in environmental sustainability they City of San Francisco has set many goals for itself such as; to achieve 0 waste by 2020 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2017.

The former Mayor Gavin Newsom also helped introduce many smart city initiatives to San Francisco. He enacted the nation’s first open data legislation in 2009, requiring City departments to make all non-confidential datasets under their authority available on DataSF. He also introduced the Living Innovation Zones project which helps businesses transform prototypes into products and services by designating permanent and temporary “Zones” throughout the city where businesses can use city assets to demonstrate new and emerging technologies.

Smart cities hold great promise to make cities around the world more sustainable and efficient. With Mayor Lee’s leadership, San Francisco has the vision to fuse the city’s sustainability goals with our transportation, energy, waste, built environment, and other sectors for maximum effectiveness and environmental benefit. Our pilot projects have demonstrated how technology solutions and increased information sharing can help make San Francisco a truly smart and sustainable city.

 

 

 

References

1. http://www.smartecocity.com/usa/sanfrancisco/
2. http://sfenvironment.org/news/update/designing-a-smarter-and-more-sustainable-san-francisco
3. http://smartcitiescouncil.com

 

The Smart City of Berlin

Berlin currently ranks as 6th on the list of Europe’s Top Ten Innovation Cities and one only needs to look at the major advancements made over the last few years to see why. Through the effective utilization of ICT, concrete solutions have been developed which has led to Berlin progressing toward being a more efficient and sustainable city.

There exists many multidisciplinary projects in Berlin which are to the benefit of not only the citizens but the environment as well. The BeMobility initiative has resulted in more than 2000 electric cars being used on the roads of Berlin. This figure is anticipated to increase and infrastructure such as charging stations and separate lanes are in the process of being developed to ensure the city is equipped to handle the increase.

Berlin is regarded as a pioneer in terms of the evolution of Smart Grids, storage concepts and innovative energy solutions. The consolidation of renewable energies as well as the creation of new technology to increase energy efficiency allows for the energy supply of the city to be in accordance with business and consumer demand.
Metropolitan Solutions, the international conference for smart city proposals, will be held in Berlin for the 2nd time from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June this year. CEO’s of multinational companies, IT specialists, project developers and entrepreneurs will be present to host workshops and exhibitions that will cover a wide range of topics including urban security, climate protection, energy supply and urban tech trends. You can read up on the various programmes taking place over the three day convention here.

Several inner-city sites that are currently in the development phase, such as the Tegal Airport and the CleanTech Business Park, will retain Berlin’s position as leader in modern trade and innovative technology.
Other future commercial developments can be seen on the map.

Done by: Firdows Dockrat

References:
http://capitallanguagesolutions.com/smart-city-berlin/ – 5/05/2016
http://www.berlin-partner.de/en/sectors-clusters/healthcare-industries/ -5/05/2016
http://www.businesslocationcenter.de/en/business-location/commercial-real-estate/berlin-economic-atlas -7/05/2016
http://www.metropolitansolutions.de/en/exhibition/facts-figures/ -7/05/2016

 

Future Smart City of Jaipur

 

The city of Jaipur contains a very underdeveloped community. The citizens that reside here are disadvantaged due to the lack of education and infrastructure. The city lacks basic services such as electricity and power management. The sanitation and water supply are also sectors that raise concern. The Smart City initiative also plans to promote a more eco-friendly environment and improve recycling and waste management.

Transportation is also a daily problem that citizens of Jaipur face. The Smart City plans to eradicate this by implementing a new and improved transportation system. The city will introduce a variety of smart vehicles/taxis as well as intelligent car parking systems in the hopes of the betterment of the city. Residents will be able to purchase “Smart Mobility” cards that will link together all forms of public transportation and allow for the customer to pay for all public transportation with a single card.

Proposed transportation system

 

The city has a budget of 48 Crores (equivalent to R109,234,956,484.80) which is planned to be used on the project over the forthcoming five years. The Smart City will also be funded by the private sector. An amount of 10000 Crores(equivalent to R2,275,728,260.10) will be brought in from the private sector.

Jaipur will be the first of many cities that will begin to embrace the benefits of technological improvement and connectivity in order to create a more improved and sustainable city. The Jaipur Smart City plans to combat as many problems as it can, and create a better city for its residents.

Author: Emeil Krishna

References:

• http://bit.ly/1rCKrjZ
• http://bit.ly/1q8XYyg
• http://bit.ly/1WVlYSG
• http://bit.ly/1Tzvrtq

 

 

Konza Techno-City

With Kenya finally discovering oil after decades of exploration (1); the next logical step would be to invest in the country’s infrastructure and to make it the most advanced country in Africa. And what better way to do this than to build a smart city.

Technology district

Main boulevards

University

Business District

 

 

Plans to build this smart city was first announced by Kenyan government in 2008.This multi-billion dollar project is a key flagship project of the Kenya vision 2030(2) and is planned to house 185,000 residents and create 100,000 jobs.

 

 

 

site previously known as Malili Ranch

The bare grassland site has an area of 2000 hectares formerly known as Malili Ranch and is situated 60 kilometres from the capital Nairobi. It is also located next to the A109 highway (one of Kenya’s main roads) which connects Konza to Nairobi (the capital) and Mombasa (the primary port of entry to East Africa and Kenya’s largest city situated at the coast) (2) (3) this would allow easy access to a variety of citizens and business people and allow the city to thrive at an exponential rate.

The four key services

Konza is planned to be a network of integrated urban information and communication technology (ICT) with four key services:

• Infrastructure (transportation, utilities, public safety, environment)
• Citizen services (access and participation)
• City services (city information, planning and development)
• Business services (supportive services for local commerce) (4)

Integration plan

Pavillion

Hotel

Transportation hub

I would suggest that project managers consult with already developed smart cities to learn from mistakes made in the past. The projected budget is at US$ 14.5 billion(5) so developers need to finalise tenders, investors and sponsors as the financial issue is one of the biggest factors hindering the smart city’s progress. Developers can also ask Kenyan citizens for suggestions on the development of the project as often the people living around the site have the best solutions.

Author: Magdalene Kamau

References:

 

(1) http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/26/world/africa/kenya-oil/

(2)read more about this at information.go.ke/wp-content/…/03/AboutKonzaTechnoCity.pdf

(3)http://theprotocity.com/konzatechnology-city-vision-reality/

(4)http://www.konzacity.go.ke/the-vision/

(5)https://www.pmi.org/Learning/PM-Network/2015/projects-behind-cities-of-future.aspx

Images: http://www.konzacity.go.ke/resource-center/gallery/

For a detailed plan of the Konza smart city project watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OQkvRRLd8YM

 

 

New Taipei Smart City Summit and Expo 2016

The city of New Taipei located in Northern Taiwan is one of Asia’s most technologically advanced cities and has continuously strived in the expansion of its ICT (Information and Communications Technology ) and sustainable development industries to become the focal point of Asia’s smart city development. On the 22^nd to the 26^th of March the annual Taipei Smart City Summit and Expo exhibition took place at the Taipei World Trade Center located in the district of Nangang.

The exhibition was formally introduced by several Taiwanese corporations who came together in 2014 as smart cities developed into a global trend. They saw the future possibilities and business opportunities behind the smart city movement and had a vision of creating an intelligent community.

This year’s exhibition was mainly focused on the ‘Internet of things’ and how different organisations, industries and individuals can come together to showcase their solutions and how they could be implemented in the working environment as well as the community.

A highlight of the summit was the ‘Real Site Demonstration’, organisers together with the Taiwanese Smart City Solution Alliance selected several successful cases of intelligent solutions ranging from transport systems to energy conservation and allowed the developers to give detailed explanations and demonstrations of their solutions as well as share the difficulties they had encountered in the development of their solutions.

There will be something for you at the next Taipei Smart City Summit and Expo whether you would like to showcase products and solutions, share knowledge and experience, or to simply gain updates on the latest in smart city technology.

Author : Masholan Naidoo

http://smartcity.org.tw/exhibition_en.php

https://en.ctimes.com