FEATURE THE AGE OF THE SMART CITY
One might picture a ‘top-down’ smart city as having a big command and control centre with huge business contracts awarded to run it. Though these do exist, Adrian explains – citing an IBM project in Rio de Janeiro – they aren’t the only way to make a city smart. Many businesses are taking the bottom-up approach, identifying problems that are common across cities and then developing the tools to solve them. “For example we’re currently developing a digital platform tool to help motorists find parking more easily,” says Adrian, whilst highlighting the limits of relying on technology alone. Each tool needs adapting, as every city is unique. “The boulevards of Paris are not the same as the winding streets of London.” The global market for smart city technology
could be worth $408 billion by 2020 and it is hoped that the UK could serve around ten per cent of this, so seeing the rollout done well is a priority for government. It set up the Smart Cities Forum – chaired by Minister for Universities, Science and Cities Greg Clark MP – which is hoped to inform policy on how governments can support smart city initiatives in the UK. “It’s a unique mix of local and central government, and business,” explains Adrian, who is part of the forum. “Governments need to put plans in place today for these things in the future; we need to be prepared.” This doesn’t necessarily mean more layers of policy and legislation, but a new way of approaching collaboration. Kevin O’Malley agrees: “You can’t just parachute in a solution. Cities have characteristics which have to be respected.” Kevin is City Innovation Team Manager for Bristol Futures, the department responsible for preparing the largest city in South West England for the future. In 2011 Bristol City Council took the bold step of bringing together different bits of the Authority into a single unit – the Bristol Futures team. “I hadn’t heard of any other local authority who had done this,” Kevin explains. “It brought together teams around digital innovation, economic development and sustainability to make something that is more than the sum of its parts.” The bold move proved successful, and by bringing in expertise from across the city the team have been responsible for a number of successful bids – including a £3-million grant from the Technology Strategy Board – that Kevin puts down to the innovative way of working. Lots of other cities are now taking the same step. The City Innovation team of Bristol Futures
is dedicated to three priority areas: infrastructure, innovation and inclusion. Whilst the infrastructure may be an obvious part of a smart future – with wireless internet and communication networks across the city – it’s the other two that really focus on empowering the residents. The innovation goal has seen the team set up a research and development testbed to connect some of the city’s major hubs of research and enterprise – giving SMEs and larger businesses the tools they need to develop and test new digital services on dedicated
12 SOCIETY NOW AUTUMN 2014 The transport,
energy, financial and social elements of a city are increasingly interconnected
infrastructure – and pushing the envelope of what their products can do without damaging their day-to-day systems. “We want to provide a testbed where businesses can safely develop and test a service to disruption,” says Kevin. By providing this capacity, the council is empowering the city itself to innovate, rather than just play catch-up. The team is mindful of inclusion too, wanting
to avoid a city on ‘twin tracks’ where only those with digital skills and tools are at an advantage. It’s one of the biggest challenges, with less funding available to tackle it, so the team is investing in partnerships with organisations who already work in these communities, providing training to those who need it and gathering views from across the spectrum of residents. “We’re exploring what it means to put technology in cities, rather than saying ‘this is what you’re getting’,” Kevin explains. Smart cities aren’t intended to force change
upon people; if a city wants to function better then it makes sense to base any changes on the best data and evidence available, whatever the level of technology involved. The UK Research Councils are funding £95 million of research into smart cities, to help understand every aspect of how new technology fits together in a complex, working community. Researchers from all disciplines have as many sources to draw from as they have services to influence, but this all hinges on cities being committed to purposefully engaging with experts to tailor the tools to their needs. “We wanted to make the smart city that suits
Bristol, rather than buy one off the shelf,” concludes Kevin, on behalf of his city’s 437,500 residents. “That’s not going to happen by accident.” n
Aaron Boardley is ESRC Press Officer i
For more information: Email
urban@esrc.ac.uk Web
www.esrc.ac.uk/urban jpi-urbaneurope.eu/about/what/
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