Smart cities seem to be on the rise as new urban developments are being created.  Rising populations and the transition to living in cities has led to this new phenomenon and it should improve the quality of life of its people.  In fact, according to the article written by Teena Maddox, “smart city technology spending reached $80 billion in 2016, and is expected to grow to $135 billion by 2021” (Smart Cities: A Cheat Sheet).  There is a common goal to expand this technology and to integrate it into society in the near future.

A smart city is a place where everything is interconnected and the upgraded technology allows for greater efficiency.  For instance, the immediacy of data for the citizens allows for enhanced utilization of resources and quicker response times for issues.  Service requests or water shortages could be identified and fixed easier than in cities without this type of communication (Smart Cities: A Cheat Sheet).  People would even have the ability to receive traffic updates, waiting times for stores and restaurants, and weather alerts.

This idea has actually been put into action in a town in Arizona.  Bill Gates announced in November 2017 that he is investing $80 million for a smart city project in Belmont, Arizona.  Based on a report by Business Real Estate Weekly of Arizona, the land was purchased for a relatively cheap price (Bill Gates’ Investment Group Spent $80 Million to Build a ‘Smart City).  The area is large enough to complete this ambitious project and its location relative to other cities assures that it is not completely isolated.  However, it has been drawing some criticism because the project is in a desert.  A lack of water could provide some glitches in the plan moving forward because the smart city is supposed to be an improvement instead of a place with constant resource problems.

 

The video about smart cities provides great explanations for how each one differs and what they require in the early stages.  Each region looks for different resources and technologies because they will experience different problems.  Also, because these cities are just starting to be created, they are being treated as experiments.  The companies investing in the production and development are trying numerous techniques and layouts to optimize the effectiveness of future projects that will soon become the standard of living. 

It is important to create a couple successful cities in the beginning so that their systems can be replicated and improved upon for other environments.  If more construction is needed all the time to accommodate an ever-increasing population, a switch to eco-friendly, technologically-savvy cities is a significant investment.

I look forward to seeing how these cities will impact our lives and it would be quite an experience to witness some behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping these cities fully functional.

References

Garfield, Leanna. “Bill Gates’ Investment Group Spent $80 Million to Build a ‘Smart City’ in the Desert – and Urban Planners Are Divided.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 22 Nov. 2017, http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-smart-city-pros-cons-arizona-urban-planners-2017-11.

Maddox, Teena. “Smart Cities: A Cheat Sheet.” TechRepublic, http://www.techrepublic.com/article/smart-cities-the-smart-persons-guide/.