Building Smart Cities Booklet Web

What is a Smart City?

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6.1 Definitions

A wide range of definitions of the term smart city has been developed by various organisations and people. Broadly smart cities integrate infrastructure, technology, and human systems to enhance quality of life, promote sustainability, and drive economic growth. Smart cities leverage technology, data, and infrastructure to enhance urban living and drive sustainable development. The concept is defined by the following key organizations:

urban services, and competitiveness while ensuring sustainability for future generations.

British Standards Institute (BSI): A smart city integrates physical, digital, and human systems to build a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future. International Standards Organisation (ISO): A smart city accelerates progress on social, economic, and environmental sustainability by engaging society, fostering collaborative leadership, and using data and technology for improved services and quality of life.

United Nations (UN): A smart sustainable city uses ICT and other innovations to improve quality of life,

6.2 Related terminology

The concept of smart cities is often used interchangeably with a variety of terms, each emphasising specific aspects of urban innovation. Broadly, these terms reflect the integration of digital technologies, data, and the built environment to enhance urban living. Some terms, such as wired cities, digital cities, and information cities, highlight the importance of digital infrastructure and connectivity. Others, like intelligent cities, knowledge-based cities, and learning cities, focus on how cities leverage data, artificial

intelligence, and education to drive development. Meanwhile, terms such as creative cities and smart communities emphasize cultural innovation and social inclusivity. More advanced concepts, including hybrid cities, ubiquitous cities, and smart urbanism, suggest the seamless integration of technology into every aspect of urban life. Despite these variations, the overarching idea remains the same: the strategic use of digital technology and data to improve governance, sustainability, and the overall urban experience.

6.3 Defining a Smart City

The term “city” is used broadly in discussions about smart cities, encompassing a range of urban developments. It can describe entirely new cities built from scratch, such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia, a futuristic urban hub envisioned as a high-tech metropolis. Alternatively, it may refer to large-scale extensions of existing urban centres, like Singapore’s Punggol Digital District, designed to integrate cutting edge technology into a well-established city. More commonly, smart city initiatives focus on retrofitting existing urban areas with advanced infrastructure,

as seen in London’s Smart City Programme or Barcelona’s sensor-driven urban planning. The label is also sometimes applied to private, mixed-use developments within a city, such as Silicon Oasis in Dubai, which integrates smart technology into a residential and commercial community. At the core of the smart city concept are its key components—technological solutions aimed at improving various aspects of urban life. Researchers like Giffinger et al. categorise these into six main

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