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With the technological leaps of recent years, the evolution of the smart city from limited solutions to “truly” smart cities that streamline or automate all of the challenges of urban life is now possible. The only remaining obstacle are concerns about data security and privacy. Blockchain can provide a solution to this, and offer the breakthrough which smart cities need to realize their potential.
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have a great potential for making passenger and freight transport greener and more efficient. Nevertheless, the introduction of ITS applications to the market remains a major challenge. Collaboration of different stakeholders is thereby key for success.
The Committee for Sydney has published a new report entitled Smart Engagement: Leveraging Technology for a More Inclusive Sydney. This report focuses on one of the core building blocks of successful smart cities – effective citizen engagement. It also provides a diverse range of case studies in how smart engagement can work in Sydney, from using traditional methods to emerging, cutting-edge technology like augmented reality (AR) technologies.
Augmented Reality (AR) technology and the market for it has matured enough for it to have the potential to play a central part in smart cities, although the big changes are expected to occur when 5G systems become widespread, since AR requires a lot of data at high speed, for users who are on the move.
The white paper Blockchain in Cities: Restoring trust and Transparency in digital Transactions has been produced by National League of Cities (NLC). The main scope of the document is to provide an overview regarding the opportunities arising for smart cities and governance, as well as existing challenges and barriers. Some key insights for city leaders are also provided at the end of this report.
The innovations that are being tested and implemented in smart city initiatives across the world, based on means such as data and digital technology in order to make cities more efficient and liveable, come with the danger of deepening inequality by excluding digitally marginalized groups.
Smart City Demonstrators is an extensive research report by Future Cities Catapult aiming to shed light on what can be learned from existing smart city solutions and services and inform the next generation of city-based projects.