Opinions

The promise of smart cities needs a strong network to back it up, writes Jamie Hayes, Mobile Network Operators Director, BT Wholesale.

Strategies must take a holistic approach encompassing people, institutions, structures and operations, say Clint Vince, founder of Dentons’ Smart Cities and Communities Think Tank, and Jennifer Morrissey, counsel at Dentons.

A simple way to control personal data could foster greater trust around smart city initiatives and open up a discussion around what citizens really find valuable – an extension of participatory budgeting, giving people a say in how they ‘spend’ their data.

Cities have often benefited from innovation but have not typically led the charge, says Betsy Plattenburg, executive director of Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners. But times are changing.  

New mobility options can improve the livability of cities but without the right strategy could have the polar opposite effect, say authors Giel Mertens and Rolf Bastiaanssen of Bax & Company, and Nico Larco of the University of Oregon.

Scott Shepard, Chief Commercial Officer, Free2Move, highlights lessons learned in Europe and North America about how to succeed with shared mobility so that cities can leverage the best from mobility innovations and investments.

Ben Hawes explores how artificial intelligence could help cities tackle the climate crisis.

Partnerships between cities and start-ups can deliver huge benefits but these parties don’t always talk the same language. Judith Schuermans, Simone Ploemacher & Sebastiaan van Herk, Bax & Company, offer some tips for success.