Smart Cities: What Life Is Like Living In One

The future is not so far off as people imagined it in the 1950s. Smart cities like Seoul are transforming what life in a city can be like. And not a moment too soon. Cities have been a draw for people looking to get out of the country and experience a higher standard of living, but they have been difficult to manage.

Now with the burgeoning urban populations rising all the time, smart cities are a necessity to make it bearable and smooth running so handle so many people.

What is life like in a smart city? Well, we only need to look at Seoul to see what the possibilities are. In this article, I will go over what living in a smart city is actually like.

What is a smart city?

A smart city is one that uses technology to streamline processes across its ecosystem. In other words, things are connected in a way that is mainly automated and intuitive to make life easier for the inhabitants.

It could mean using the blockchain to host various bureaucratic systems to make it easier to manage or it can be using the cloud for easier access to services for the population.

The population does need to be somewhat tech savvy for this to work but they don’t need to be experts. If they already know how to setup a bitcoin wallet then they are likely capable of taking advantage of the services that a smart city has to offer.

The more connected the population is, the better the services they can expect as the data that is generated is used to identify what the biggest needs are at any one time. It is for this reason that Seoul fared so well with the Covid-19 response since much of the system is automated.

Clean energy

One thing that many cities suffer from is poor air quality. With the traffic and the concentration of buildings that use heating and air conditioning, there is a lot of exhaust. A smart city uses clean energy and reduces the risk of illness from smog and air pollution.

Smart cities are able to better utilize renewable energy sources to power the city since they can use the data available to determine how much energy is needed and where. This makes it far more efficient enabling its widespread use.

Better infrastructure

Data is also analysed to determine how best to plan a city. From the roads, to housing, there is data that can let planners know exactly where resources need to be directed. Buildings can be optimized according to the residents needs and traffic bottlenecks can be virtually eliminated thanks to smart urban planning of roads and transportation.

Water management is also something that is much better suited to smart cities. It’s more important than ever to conserve water and using the Internet of Things will help use less water for the city’s needs.

Smart cities are better for the people and better for the environment.