Smart city challenges and concerns

Smart city initiatives must include the people they aim to help: residents, business people and tourists. City leaders must not only realize the benefits of smart city technologies being implemented, but also promote the use of open and democratized data for its citizens.

If people know what they are participating in and the benefits it can bring, they are more likely to get involved. Fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors and city residents is key to creating a smart citizen who will be engaged and empowered to contribute positively to the city and community. Smart city projects should include plans to make data transparent and available to citizens, often through an open data portal or mobile app. This allows residents to interact with the data and understand what it is being used for.

Through a smart city app, residents may also be able to perform personal tasks such as viewing their home’s energy consumption, paying bills, and finding efficient public transportation. Opponents of smart cities worry that city administrators won’t keep privacy and data security at the forefront, fearing exposing the data citizens produce every day to the risk of hacking or abuse. Additionally, the presence of sensors and cameras can be perceived as an invasion of privacy or government surveillance. To solve this, the data collected about smart cities should be anonymized and not personally identifiable information.

In addition, public transportation, traffic management, public safety, water and waste management, electricity and natural gas supply can be unreliable, especially as the system ages and grows. However, the importance of these operations will only increase as the city expands and the demands on its infrastructure increase.

These systems must be constantly maintained and tested to ensure their proper functioning. Smart cities are also challenged by finding ways to attract and retain residents without a cultural fabric. The cultural essence of an area is often what attracts residents the most; this is something that cannot be programmed or controlled with a sensor. Therefore, smart cities can falter because they cannot provide a sense of authenticity, distinctiveness or place.