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These days, smart technologies have become very ubiquitous and popular, from smart homes to smart cities, connected technologies are changing our lives. It seems that today it is no longer possible to imagine a gadget without the possibility of connecting to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other means of communication. But what if we could equip the whole city with these kinds of gadgets?
The emergence of smart cities is the next step of mankind in the development of new technologies, which will take place on a large scale. Many current cities are moving towards becoming smart, but a number of big and well-known cities in the world have already used many existing technologies to serve citizens better, which is why they can be called the smartest cities in the world. Therefore, in this article, what we mean by smart city is not the image presented by science-fiction movies, but the use of advanced and smart technologies by cities.
1. Hong Kong
Hong Kong has started the process of becoming a smart city a few years ago. In 2017, the city released its roadmap, according to which it will gradually add to its smart facilities. This road map includes 76 different innovative concepts, among which we can mention smart transportation, smart life, smart environment, smart people, smart government and smart economy.
These concepts are defined to create a green and connected city where life is enjoyable. One part of the overall plan, which focuses heavily on technology, is “smart living,” which includes providing free public Wi-Fi everywhere so that citizens can more easily use new payment methods such as smartphone payments via NFC. In addition to these, the advanced health and support system for the elderly and disabled is another goal of this department.
“Smart mobility” is another concept of this department, which was developed with a focus on the smart transportation system, and citizens can benefit from a variety of services of this system using a comprehensive application called KHeMobility.
2. Oslo
Although Oslo is the capital of Norway, it is not in the category of big cities like New York or Hong Kong. However, the city is well on its way to developing its smart capabilities. One of the most important goals in Oslo is to improve the living standards of citizens by turning the city into an environmentally friendly city connected to the smart grid.
A key technology used to achieve this goal is the Internet of Things, or IoT. Devices or other devices that are equipped with software, sensors and other technological features and can communicate with other devices by connecting to the Internet are all included in this definition. This technology is a popular option for smart cities, and Oslo also takes help from them in important areas of urban management such as waste management, transportation and water management.
Various sectors in Oslo’s urban management are developing, including electric city buses, industrial development and construction sites without the emission of harmful substances.
3. London
London is not only the capital of England, but also the busiest city in this country. Therefore, it is only natural that it is also the smartest city in England. Part of the London smart project is based on the creation of a fully fiber network that connects 400 kilometers of subway tunnels and 500 kilometers of roads and 80,000 pieces of urban furniture in this city.
In addition, the city connectivity map can show citizens the different parts of London that have the best and worst broadband coverage. A continued focus on clean energy, reducing carbon emissions and expanding the use of electric vehicles is another part of London’s plan to become a smart city.
4. Dubai
Over the past few decades, Dubai has developed at a very high speed and turned from a desert area into one of the top and largest cities in the world. This city is now traveling the path of becoming smart at a very high speed. Some smart services are already available in Dubai, including the Nol smart card, which allows citizens to pay for public transportation using NFC.
Also, the city has developed an application called DubaiNow, which allows citizens to pay for all public services including medical, education, housing and transportation without any hassle. Dubai’s smart car rental service is one of the other services in the field of smartness that allows citizens to rent a car using applications called Udrive and Ekar.
Another big project in Dubai is the self-driving transportation strategy. According to this plan, 25% of Dubai’s urban transport will be self-driving by 2030.
5. Amsterdam
Amsterdam is known for its rich history and culture, but this European city is also one of the smartest cities in the world. One of the characteristics of Amsterdam is the city’s open source data in the transport sector, where anyone can add relevant data at any time. This transportation system works great to keep citizens aware of the traffic situation and entry and exit to the city.
In addition, Amsterdam (and the entire country of the Netherlands) has one of the fastest internet in the European Union, which makes the Amsterdam Smart City (ASC) plan to develop faster and its network of connected technologies to be faster.
The ASC plan, which started in 2009, includes a long list of different projects that focus on the overall development of the city. This list includes the cleaning of rivers, the management of the road network, and the improvement of the living standards of citizens. In this city, to improve the standard of living, an application called Wyzer is used, which allows citizens to explore the unofficial routes of the city and at the same time discover the “hidden gems” shown in the app as a reward.
The Amsterdam Social Glass project also provides the possibility of collecting urban data analysis and weather forecasts, with the help of which you can get a better view of people’s behavior and public conditions.
6. Barcelona
Many people know Barcelona for its football team, tourist centers and amazing food, but who would have thought that a historic city would become one of the smartest cities in the world? You will be more surprised if you know that Barcelona was the first European city to use smart technologies at the urban level.
Like Oslo, Barcelona also pays special attention to the Internet of Things and receives special help from it in the waste management sector. For example, the city’s trash cans are equipped with the Internet of Things and can tell the relevant department how much trash is filled at any given time.
Other smart elements of this city include street lights, natural disaster warning system, and smart mailboxes that will be used on a large scale in this city. Also, other technologies will be used in this city focusing on environmental protection, which will check the air quality, provide shared car services, monitor the amount of energy consumption in the home sector and measure the water consumption pattern.
7. New York
As you might expect, New York is one of the most famous cities in the world and one of the smartest. The integration of smart lighting system, smart water consumption measurement system and smart waste management system has placed this city among the smartest. For example, a smart trash can called BigBelly is equipped with a trash compression system and wireless sensors that measure the amount of trash in each bin.
Also, due to the problems caused by air pollution, this city has a special focus on air quality monitoring. Of course, other projects have been used to preserve the environment in New York, including the challenge of clean neighborhoods and renewable energy projects that reduce the city’s dependence on fossil fuels.
A respectable example
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Although not considered a city, Singapore is one of the most technologically advanced places in the world. This country’s “Smart Transportation 2020” initiative is focused on providing a smart and advanced transportation system. The scheme is accompanied by the Smart Travel programme, which was developed with the aim of more efficiently distributing the population density during peak travel and is linked to Singapore’s rail network, which encourages citizens to choose when and how they travel more carefully.
Singapore has launched the Smart Nation app, which allows citizens to use self-driving vehicle services, receive alerts on air quality and temperature, and report urban problems.
Maybe in the future every city will become smart in its own way
Considering that the expansion of smart technologies in different places of the world is inevitable, there is no doubt that more governments will move towards using smart plans and improving the living standards of citizens, environmental protection and connected service networks.
Source: MakeUseOf
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