The rise of the smart city

TL;DR

• By 2050, it’s predicted that 70% of the world’s global population will be living in urban areas increasing pressure on infrastructure, increasing pollution, degrading the environment and depleting agricultural land.  

• According to the United Nations, cities currently consume 78% of the world’s energy and account for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s essential for city planners to develop a cohesive and coordinated approach to infrastructure and urban planning to achieve net zero.  

• Smart technology is allowing cities to understand their resource utilisation, analyse their citizens’ behaviour, and identify any service gaps to make data-driven decisions, conserve energy, and thus mitigate the effects of climate events such as flooding and extreme heat. 

• Smart solutions installed in cities like Nasushiobara and Barcelona enable city planners to improve the efficiency of their solar panels, remotely control park irrigation, and protect their inhabitants by issuing weather warnings.  

• Investment in a fleet of electric buses in Santiago has reduced emissions while also saving 70% on running costs, while Abu Dhabi is tackling food shortages by investing in a $100 million vertical hydroponic farm.  

• These initiatives prove that it is possible to offset the negative impact of an increasingly urban population through a combination of forward planning and daily management that integrates sensors, renewable energy, electric vehicles, hydroponic farming, and more.  

The detail

The world’s population has been trending urban for centuries, beginning in earnest in 18^th century Britain and continuing to the present day.  

In recent times, rapid expansion of cities across the globe is putting a strain on infrastructure and exposing the limitations of urban communities when it comes to integrating renewable energy sources and battling climate change. These pressures are set to increase – it’s estimated that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 with the biggest shifts being seen in Asia and Africa. 

Urbanisation is underpinned by the concept of ‘agglomeration economies’, where people and firms located close to one another act more efficiently and are more productive than those living in dispersed settings. Unfortunately, this productivity comes at a cost, especially to the environment and public health. The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the potential dangers of living in close proximity to others while pollution, environmental degradation and the depletion of agricultural land are just some of the other negative effects associated with growing cities.  

Cities do have an important role to play in the fight against climate change. According to the United Nations, they currently consume 78% of the world’s energy and account for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s therefore essential for city planners and governing bodies to develop a cohesive and coordinated approach to infrastructure and urban planning, investing in smart solutions to ensure the energy transition keeps pace with urban migration.  

Energy is one of the most important commodities in cities and it’s all too easy for demand to outstrip supply. What’s more, this problem has been exacerbated by cities starting to move towards electrification to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.  

Even so, there are several options that urban planners can explore to offset carbon emissions, harness the potential of renewable energy sources, actively restore agricultural land, and increase the density of green spaces. From adopting renewables and introducing circularity into infrastructure, to repurposing industrial waste to provide an additional energy supply, there are many ways to move forward. Adding renewables into the mix will undoubtedly put the electricity grid under strain – but that’s where smart technology can really make a difference.  

Making city management more effective 

In simple terms, a smart city is defined as any town or city that has added sensors to its infrastructure. While introducing technology does come with risks – data privacy, security and cyber resilience, for example – it is also allowing cities to understand their resource utilisation, analyse their citizens’ behaviour, and identify any service gaps to make data-driven decisions.  

From tracking energy consumption to monitoring the temperature, humidity, solar irradiance and air quality, the Internet of Things (IoT) has the power to revolutionise the way cities operate. Not only does IoT data empower cities to make reactive decisions, but it also informs modelling in urban planning so that officials can prepare and mitigate the effects of climate events such as flooding and extreme heat.  

Monitoring and making changes remotely 

Combining smart sensor technology with remote management has been utilised to great effect in cities across the world. Nasushiobara in Japan is known for its hot springs, ski resorts and dairy industry, and started deploying smart technologies in 2020. Since then, it has implemented 30 pyranometers and 10 smart environmental sensors to monitor sun irradiation levels and weather conditions. These sensors not only allow the city to track its energy outputs, but also help to protect the health of its population by triggering alerts when temperatures could cause heatstroke.  

However, the primary use of this data has been to enable city officials to adjust the accuracy of their photovoltaic output forecast – this enables them to predict and manage fluctuations in the energy supply from solar panels to improve efficiency. These insights have also encouraged the city to introduce 400 smart LED streetlights equipped with wireless dimming control technology to enable remote control, and thus curb energy consumption and CO2 emissions.  

In Barcelona, Spain, a centrally coordinated control platform currently manages a network of sensors deployed around the city. Equipped with tablets and smartphones, city planners can monitor and optimise their operations in real-time, making resource management much more efficient. Park irrigation, for example, can now be switched off at the touch of a button as and when weather conditions change. Primpri Chichwad in India has also adopted this data-driven approach, which has resulted in energy usage and emissions decreasing by between 15 and 20%.  

Curbing emissions with co-ordinated planning  

Beyond smart technology, intentional city planning spotlighting climate change and its impact has the potential to improve the quality of life for city dwellers around the world. In Kolkata, India, 99 measures were identified that, if implemented, could reduce energy costs by $430 million and cut carbon emissions by 16% by 2025.  

The city is particularly at risk due to its exposure to extreme weather events, rising sea levels and mass refugee migration, making it is essential steps are taken to mitigate the impact of climate change as much as possible. Suggested measures include creating green spaces, improving waste management, investing in public transport and providing enhanced energy access for all.  

In Santiago, the capital of Chile, public transport has been a focus area. The city bought hundreds of electric buses to reduce air pollution and its impact on its citizens’ health. The new buses are also cost-effective, requiring 70% less capital to operate and maintain than diesel models.  

The resulting bus network has been described as the first ‘electric corridor’ in Latin America. It is purely served by electric buses and its bus stops feature solar panels to power free Wi-Fi, USB charging and LED lighting. The project’s success has led to the transport minister issuing a tender to buy 2,000 more e-buses and has sparked similar initiatives in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador.  

The future of farming  

Growing cities will also need to have a secure food supply to sustain their population – it’s estimated that 80% of all food will be consumed in cities by 2050. Hydroponics is one potential solution. A water-based process that feeds plants with nutrient-rich water rather than relying on soil, it allows farms to occupy less space and operate in a controlled environment with a potential tenfold yield increase and more measured use of water, pesticides and fertilisers.  

Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has adopted a hydroponic approach by investing $100 million into a vertical farm stretching over 8,200 square metres. The farm is intended to aid the research and development of crops, eventually turning sand into farmland to boost local food production and accelerate its agricultural technology ecosystem.  

Each of these innovative projects prove that ‘climate-smart’ urban infrastructure can offset the potential problems caused by rapid urbanisation. In fact, making cities more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and safe is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – and by becoming climate-smart, the UN believes cities can combat the mounting pressure of climate change. There is also a $30 trillion investment opportunity on the table – and that’s just in developing economies.  

Rather than try to halt urbanisation, the smart city approach looks objectively at the potential problems that come with a larger population and introduces proactive measures that prioritise sustainable energy, clean technology and resource conservation. It’s a combination of planning and everyday management; city planners need to have the foresight to introduce sensors, electric vehicles, hydroponic farms and more, while also responding to the data to limit energy use where possible, protect public health, and conserving natural resources.  

It's not a quick fix. It will require co-ordination, collaboration and investment from both the public and private sectors, but the likes of Barcelona, Santiago, Abu Dhabi, and Nasushiobara prove its possible.  

— Lew 👋

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The Transition’s work is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice in any capacity. Always do your own research.