first published week of: 07/07/2014
Efficiency; resilience; growth; vitality. These are all characteristics that cities desire, and that are regularly cited as the objectives of Smarter City programs and other forward-looking initiatives.
But, though it is less frequently stated, a more fundamental objective underlies all of these: fairness.
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has written extensively about the need to prioritise fairness as a policy and investment objective in a world that in many areas – and in many cities – is becoming more unequal. That inequality is demonstrated by the difference in life expectancy of 20 years or so that exists between the poorest and richest parts of many UK cities.
I think the Smart Cities movement will only be viewed as a success by the wider world if it contributes to redressing that imbalance.
So how do we design Smart City systems that employ technology to make cities more successful, resilient and efficient; in a way that distributes resources and creates opportunities more fairly than today? continued…