The Smart City is dead. Long live the Smart Citizen.
It is the first weekend of 2021! Happy New Year, my dear reader.
As a regular reader of Recurrent Patterns, you’ll know my philosophy: technology should be our servant, not our master. It always should help peoplein their lives.
A timely example comes from one area of technology that’s close to my heart: Smart Cities.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins has some news on this front: ‘Cisco Systems Pulls Back From Smart City Push’.
Why did they make this decision? Because cities never really had any money to spend on these projects (or even to fix all the potholes). Soon, when all the federal, provincial and state stimulus money ends, cities will have to really rethink their priorities.
Cisco could have pulled the plug on that initiative a long time ago. It would have saved tons of money.
I’ve been thinking out loud on this topic for a long time (and am open to your thoughts as well):
Opt-In, Not Panopticon: How To Redefine The Concept Of Smart Cities After A Crisis
Public Transport vs Uber. Why This is the Wrong Question to Ask
Full disclosure: I’m the co-founder of a non-profit think tank looking at smart cities,Urban Opus. While I am also an entrepreneur, when it comes to smart cities, I come at this topic from a different perspective than a pure for-profit company like Mr. Robins leads.
So, what is the alternative in 2021 for cities that want to “get smart” and the companies that want to help them get there?
First, if we still have to use the term Smart City, let’s define it asThe smartest city is the one with the most actively engaged citizens…a definition coined byUrban Opus.
Second, cities should create a level playing field on how businesses can operate in the city. I’m talking about an opt-in approach for consumers to share personal data that for-profit companies can use to build services that actually make life better for residents and visitors alike. Let businesses figure out how to do that profitably while delivering value to their customers.
So, here is my prediction for 2021: cities which can implement this approach will become the most prosperous urban centers in years to come.
And this is the recurrent pattern.