In an era where technology is rapidly evolving, cities and communities are embracing smart solutions to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and quality of life. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is at the forefront of this transformation, fostering the development and deployment of smart city technologies. Through initiatives like the Global Community Technology Challenge (GCTC), NIST is helping cities worldwide to adopt advanced technologies, improve infrastructure, and create more connected, resilient communities.
Weiterlesen: Making Cities and Communities Smarter: A Technological Revolution
Monica Duhem, Director of the Global Advisory Center at the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict), explains how she has been working to make accessibility by design a priority for cities, and how model policies have helped make an impact.
Q: Can you provide some background information on how you came to be involved in the accessible technology space?
My journey into the accessible technology space began during my time working with the Mexican government, specifically within the Ministry of Telecommunication. I was responsible for handling international relations and issues, and it was in this capacity that I became the first rapporteur at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under a question dedicated to the development of inclusive technology for persons with disabilities. This was around 2010 when the ITU, a UN organisation, first began examining how ICT could become more inclusive of and benefit persons with disabilities.
Weiterlesen: Prioritising accessibility in smart city tech and services
"Smart city" is a buzzword, but what is so "smart" about a "smart city?"
Cities have evolved over the last few decades along the same lines that we moved from landline phones to regular cell phones to present-day smartphones. This transformation applies to several facets of city planning and infrastructure, including basic facilities like water, electricity, sewer, education, healthcare and transportation.
Weiterlesen: The Role Of Smart City Technology In Improving Urban Living
The pandemic has rendered most pre-existing smart city concepts obsolete, leaving cities and regions scrambling to adapt to the profound changes of the last few years. Initially, the goal was to lure people back to work and live downtown—a vision that the pandemic has dramatically altered.
Many conferences still promote outdated ideas like Smart Cities 2.0, rehashing concepts that no longer align with the rapidly shifting realities of today’s market. City leaders must recognize these differences to avoid pursuing outmoded priorities and ineffective solutions that fail to add value.
The Evolution and Future of Smart Cities The journey to smart cities goes way back to the 1970s, when Los Angeles created the first urban big data project: “A Cluster Analysis of Los Angeles”. The first smart city was arguably Amsterdam with the creation of a virtual digital city in 1994. Things then speeded up in mid-2000s when IBM and Cisco launched separate initiatives. In 2011, the inaugural Smart City Expo World Congress was held in Barcelona, which has now become an annual event charting smart cities’ development.