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International Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 2016, 5(2): 1-11 7
city hubs usually evolve naturally over time, the Ideally, a smart city integrates the flows and
success of Freiburg, Copenhagen and Singapore supply chains of all key resources – energy,
illustrates that sustainable smart city models waste, water, food and transport – using inno-
can be deliberately created to establish a vative technologies to achieve a more resource-
positive reputation; and that densification and efficient city (Lehmann 2012b). In many ways,
an increase of green space at the same time is infrastructure again plays a key role. The recent
possible. A smart city might be a low-carbon United Nations Environment Programme report
city, or a city that’s easy to move around. The City-level Decoupling: Urban Resource Flows and
Compact City, the Green City, the Regenerative Governance of Infrastructure Transitions (UNEP,
City, the Eco-City, the Smart City, and so on – 2013) explores the key role of cities as societal
they can all be the same place (see Figure 2). ‘nodes’ where much of the current unsustain-
able use of natural resources takes place (and
New Decentralized Infrastructure for the where the greatest potential exists for
Smart City sustainability-oriented innovations), focussing
on the key role of infrastructure in directing
Cities thrive and, contrary to expectations that material flows and therefore resource use in the
communications technology would make loca- urban context.
tion less relevant, we are finding that twenty-
first-century life is increasingly dependent on But there is also critique of the smart city
the clustering of diverse information techno- concept and the dangers from accumulation of
logies at one place, as a dense network of urban big data. The data explosion is radically trans-
amenities (from playgrounds to swimming forming our lives, where systems are systems of
pools and libraries), institutions, innovation and interconnected systems, becoming ever-more
human capital. Maintaining innovation all the complex, and we may lose the ability to under-
way through to project delivery is important. stand how they work. As the complexity of
We can see this with Masdar (UAE) and Tianjin systems grows, so too do their vulnerabilities.
Eco-city (P.R. of China), two outstanding
demonstration projects that have set them- Therefore, experts ask: Could the increased
selves up as hubs for green smart technology dependency on technology actually make the
enterprises and research, so called ‘living city less resilient? While new technology can be
laboratories’. Social inclusion and the use of ICT advantageous, it does not replace compact,
are perhaps the most important aspects of walkable, mixed-use communities and a good
Tianjin Eco-city, where 25 per cent of all relationship between housing and employment.
housing is subsidized for low-wage workers and
their families. Once completed, it is hoped that Today, we are able to capture ‘big data’ about
in Tianjin Eco-city around 90 per cent of all cities and their urban systems through the use
travel will be made on foot, by bicycle or via of ICT that allows us to gain reliable and
public transport. analytical insight into different urban scenarios,
either existing or likely to evolve. This enables
We can also find interesting ideas about smart us to better monitor and lead the operation of
city development in New Songdo City: this our urban systems and to use these predictive
newly built city on reclaimed land, 50 models to identify potential risks or future
kilometres southwest of Seoul, is the test site demands. It also allows for better, evidence-
for a new type of ICT infrastructure: offering based decision making through anticipation of
effortless access to high quality services, likely demand and events, rather than merely
knowledge transfer, mobility, communication reacting to demands or pressures. IT experts
and connectivity to social infrastructure. The point out that in our post-Fordist networked
Amsterdam Smart City project is another good society social exchange and productivity are
example of how information technologies can increasing with density of communication and
be applied to optimize infrastructure and traffic information flow. Obviously, services cannot be
flow, and provide substantial services to the designed in isolation if infrastructural co-
population. benefits are to be harnessed. Forward-looking
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