The concept “smart city” has arrived to our society in a very notorious way. It looks like all kinds of businesses and public administrations are now jumping on the bandwagon of building sustainable cities to guarantee a better quality of life for society. Smart Cities allow for a better and more sustainable use of natural resources.
What is a Smart City?
Basically the term “Smart city” refers to a kind of city built on the principle of developing a more sustainable environment, and not only in economical terms, but also in social and especially environmental.
These cities must invest in human capital like energetic infrastructures, technology for communications and transportation in order to be able to be called “smart cities”. Modern cities should focus on improving quality of life for the citizens, always keeping in mind that they should follow a model that is sustainable and efficient in terms of energy, contributing to the sustainable development of the whole planet.
Smart Cities in Spain
In Spain there is a Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI) that gather all local territories that are using information and communication technologies (TIC) to add value to their cities. Their objective is to generate a wide Spanish network of smart cities, which aim for social progress by creating an efficient management of the infrastructures and urban services, as well as the reduction of the public costs and the improvement of the services quality, thus attracting economic activity and stimulating progress.
Nowadays, RECI is formed of 62 cities and it’s open to welcome more Smart Cities. To be able to carry on with this growth, Smart cities are supporting creative industries and high technology, always respecting the strategic plans that allow them to improve the innovation system at a local level.
Over the upcoming years, we will notice an improvement in the life of all citizens, reaching in this way a cohesive society capable of attracting a society of talented individuals. Although this is not an easy road. During the World Smart City Forum, it was confirmed that cities must be capable of being in charge of some specific sensitive points such as water and energy supply and the removal of pollution caused by transport networks. The development of an innovative space that encourages talent, opportunities and life quality in an urban environment must be the result of the collaboration between local resources, helping to improve collaboration, coordination between members of the community and avoiding competition for resources.
