A smart city refers to creating cities with the help of digital and ICT-based innovation. It is expected that with the addition of technology in the city, the efficiency of the urban cities will improve and in addition to that, it will also generate better economic opportunities in the urban region. However, while creating a smart city, it is important to ensure that its benefits extend across the segments of society. The world is going through urbanization in an extremely rapid space. Therefore, it is important to give the right direction to this growth. Smart cities are giving the right direction to urbanization.
How Smart City Will Ensure Inclusive Growth?
Urbanization is improving the living conditions for most urban dwellers. It is visible from the fact in the form of better internet connectivity and speed, which you can check on platforms such as Speed Test and Google Fiber and better economic opportunities. However, despite it, a social disparity exists amongst the city dwellers. It is because even though people live in the urban region, some still live in slums and suffer through inadequate service. However, smart cities will solve this issue by creating inclusive growth.
Smart cities will ensure that all the city dwellers get to enjoy the benefit of equal access. While developing a smart city, the urban planners will ensure that all the city dwellers are included in the plan. This will help the country further to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the Sustainable Development Goals is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Smart cities will ensure that this goal is met.
The Benefits Of Inclusive Smart City
An inclusive smart city has many benefits. Firstly, it ensures better economic opportunities for everyone. Studies have indicated that economic inclusion and racial inclusion create a better society. In addition to it, economic inclusion also ensures housing affordability and a better working lifestyle. A positive correlation between inclusion and economic health is observed.
With technology adoption in the smart city, it becomes possible to make data-driven decisions. It also makes it easier for the community to interact with each other. While creating an inclusive smart city, it is important to take into consideration the community members and further, the entire process should be made more transparent.
Smart Issues Will Tackle The Following Exclusion Issues
Urbanization houses many types of exclusion. Thankfully, smart cities will be tackling these exclusion issues. Smart cities will help in tackling the issue of spatial exclusion, economic exclusion and social exclusion. Smart cities will help to tackle spatial exclusion by creating compact, well-planned and connected cities. This improves the competitiveness of the city along with improving the productivity of its dwellers.
Smart cities will fight economic exclusion by boosting incentives for investment. A smart city is technology-driven and therefore, is capable of supporting firms in a better manner. It will then create inclusive economic growth for all. Smart cities will also be fighting the issue of social exclusion. The smart city will ensure that no one is left behind. With such inclusion, social mobility will improve too. In addition to that, it also creates gender equality by providing women with a safe urban environment to work. Social inclusion is extremely important to work towards improving the equity of the people.
The Improvement Is Limitless
With technology adoption, only the sky’s the limit for smart cities. Technology adoption in creating smart cities will result in a direct benefit for all the city dwellers. To reach the true potential of the smart city, it is important for the national government and local government to come together to create better cities. In addition to that, citizen engagement in the process also plays a vital role.
When creating a city for all, it is vital to take into consideration all the stakeholders. It is high time to give direction to the uncontrolled urban growth in the form of smart cities. Many people come to cities looking for better economic and social lifestyles. Smart cities will ensure that such expectations are met. Thankfully, technological elements in the smart city will ensure. Many reports and studies have already indicated the massive benefits of smart cities. Hopefully, the cities will become a better places to live in the forthcoming years.
