Changing landscapes: The design of cities in the age of digital transformation
As the “smart city” concept catches on worldwide, it continues to divide opinion. Digital technology to enhance the welfare of citizens, Big Brother dystopia or snazzy city marketing label?
“… competing visions of the smart city are proxies for competing visions of society, and in particular about who holds power in society,” author Steven Poole wrote in The Guardian in 2014.
Although recent years have seen a broader approach to tackling environmental and societal issues, how will the smart city take on challenges such as rapid urbanization, population growth and housing shortage, exclusion and growing inequality, climate change adaptation and infrastructure needs? And how will smart city technologies and governance affect the way we design our cities?
These were some of the questions that were debated at the Smart City Expo World Congress and various side events, recently held in Barcelona, including the C40 Talks session ‘Cities Getting the Job Done,” the 2018 Sharing Cities Summit and the 2018 edition of Barcelona Resilience Week, with the participation of more than 2,000 visitors and 700 cities.
New forms of mobility, transport sharing systems and applications for parking and other services are reorganising our streetscapes. With cities increasingly promoting public transport, walking and cycling, including e-bikes and scooters, existing parking space and traffic lanes are being transformed into civic spaces, as seen with the example of Barcelona’s superblocks. The advance of e-commerce and food delivery services is another major influence on our public spaces. How exactly future mobility concepts will transform Australian cities over the next few years is uncertain, but the digital revolution will be played out on the streets.
Adam Beck, executive director at the Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand (and a participant at the Expo), pointed out the importance of design professionals and other citymakers collaborating and engaging with smart city initiatives. The council last year joined forces with AILA and the IoT (Internet of Things) Alliance Australia for the Future Street project to explore the design opportunities created by the introduction of autonomous vehicles, smart city technology and green infrastructure.
Sensors, monitoring systems and IoT technology, such as smart lighting and smart irrigation, enable the creation of more water and energy efficient urban environments, though regulations and government strategies are important to ensure standards are put into place. Mandatory green roof regulations led to a reduction of 40% stormwater discharge at the City of Stockholm’s the Royal Seaport. The site is also the subject of various research studies focusing on the project’s energy systems, source-separating waste water systems, and the waste reduction mechanisms and innovative treatments of contaminated soil during the port’s construction.
