A digital city is one that has been transformed through the use of modern digital services – this services will allow city administrators to collect information, improve efficiency and create a more sustainable future.
A lot of cities now have one overall city platform that is used in order to provide better services to citizens and so that they know what is happening in different parts of the city at all times. The city platform will have other systems plugged into it, so that data is continually flowing from the city to the platform and then onto to the people that can use the data.
Imagine a city where water, waste, energy, transport and other systems are all connected and talking to each other. Smart bins are reporting when they are full so that the rubbish collectors do not spend time emptying bins that are not full. The lighting only comes on when it is needed, sensors pick up movement and will then turn on the lights for the person based on the direction that they are walking or cycling. The transportation system knows when there is excess traffic in certain areas of the city and makes changes to traffic light timings so that you do not hit traffic as you travel through the city – at the same time your smart phone is letting you know the quickest route to go in order to avoid all of that traffic. These are just some examples, but they are all technologies that are here now and are operating in a lot of cities across the globe.
Such advances mean that cities not only offer better services to their citizens (which is very important), but they are being more sustainable and efficient. On the sustainability side of things that means that there are less pollutants going into the air and therefore the health of citizens will improve. One of the biggest problems with living in cities is the impact of bad air quality on health. When it comes to efficiency, this is what every city leader is aiming for, the more efficient a city is the less money it costs of run and then any additional funds that are generated can be used to invest further in better services for citizens.
Cities can also use their digital advancement as a key differentiator in the fight for talent and economic development. People want to live in smart cities where services add real value to the way that they live their lives. It encourages entrepreneurship and the rise of digital and tech hubs that can lead to increases in employment opportunities for cities.
One of the key aspects of digital development has to be the inclusion of all citizens in the process, it is OK bringing in all of this technology and the younger generations will all make the most of it and appreciate it, but it can have a negative impact on the older generations as
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