scholarly journals A Post-Corona Perspective for Smart Cities: ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Sassen ◽  
Karima Kourtit
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Healthy City ◽  
City Life ◽  
Technology Tools ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
And Control

This exploratory essay aims to provide a reflection on the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for urban development and to sketch a plausible picture of the urban future. It serves as an introductory contribution to the Special Issue of this journal on ‘happy and healthy cities’, with particular emphasis on the implications of COVID-19 in pluriform cities. There is no doubt that contemporary cities are growing, and have become more dynamic and crowded. The more people, the bigger the challenges are to manage urban growth and to cope with—and control—density frictions, such as pandemics (e.g., COVID-19). Cities have the task to satisfy the essential needs of many heterogeneous people and to develop appropriate people-based strategies in order to make or keep people happy and healthy. The current COVID-19 disaster is a real urban challenge. The deployment of smart cities’ strategies and the use of digital technology tools in order to capture and provide intelligent internal and external online information and communication opportunities may help cities—in active partnership with their residents (‘smart citizens’ voice’)—to manage shocks and disruptions in the urban system. Clearly, cities are dynamic and adaptive organisms with a high resilience capacity. A key question addressed in this paper is whether urban inhabitants may be inclined to move out of the city due to human health threats, or whether intelligent digital technology tools will be able to overcome the current challenges to the ‘urban way of life’. The paper argues that modern information and communication technology offers a range of opportunities for a healthy city life, so that the COVID-19 pandemic will most likely not lead to a massive demographic outflow from urban agglomerations to less densely populated areas in particular rural areas. Instead, what is called the ‘corona crisis’ may cause just a ripple in the permanent dynamic evolution of cities.

scholarly journals It’s Not a Fad: Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research in European and Global Contexts

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Visvizi ◽  
Miltiadis Lytras
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Cohesion Policy ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
Policy Frameworks ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Village ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Academic Debate

Research on smart cities matures, and new interdisciplinary approaches to the study of smart cities, is increasing. At the same time, problems pertinent to communities inhabiting rural areas are also addressed, as a part of discussions in neighboring fields of research, such as environmental studies, sociology, and agriculture. Arguably, the concept of ‘the village’ has been largely absent in the academic debate, even if rural areas and countryside communities have been a subject of concern for robust policy frameworks, such as the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy. As a result, when advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) led to the emergence of a rich body of research on smart cities, the application and usability of ICT in the context of a village remained underdiscussed in the literature. Through this Special Issue, and the Editors’ earlier research on this topic, the Editors hope that the idea of the ‘smart village’ will be introduced into the debate. Against this backdrop, the objective of this opening review is three-fold: (i) to outline the conceptual boundaries of the term smart village, (ii) to highlight the thrust of the challenge inherent in smart villages research, and (iii) to shed light on the smart village research agenda as it unfolds. The relevance and validity of these claims are supported by references to research submitted to the Special Issue titled “Sustainable Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research”.

scholarly journals Quality of life in smart cities - security technology & crime control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elie Mina ◽  
Saša Petar
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
Security Technology ◽  
Security Systems ◽  
City Life ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Improvement Programs

Abstract: The concept of the Smart City is increasingly gaining popularity and defines an approach that uses Information and Communication Technology to support the different facets of sustainability processes, while taking into consideration the interests of different stakeholders. Security is one of many issues raised in Smart City initiatives; the security issue is often tackled by the adoption of systems that enhance security systems. Smart Cities raises noteworthy political, specialized, and socioeconomic challenges for creators, trustworthiness, and organizations included in administrating these modern substances. An expanding number of considers center on the security, privacy, and risks inside Smart Cities, highlighting the dangers relating to data security and challenges for Smart City framework within the management and handling of individual information. Smart City has circulated over the created world influencing urban improvement programs and government methodologies. Such future cities are proclaimed for their proficient networked technologies implanted inside the texture of urban situations that give unused implies of social control for the state. These cities are imagined as a technological settle for the numerous issues of advanced city life; Rising advances are not faultless and have vulnerabilities that can be controlled by criminal performing artists. Indeed so, there's a curiously hush around the issues of security among the advocates of Smart Cities. Sažetak: Koncept Pametnog grada sve više dobiva na popularnosti i podrazumijeva pristup koji koristi informacijsku i komunikacijsku tehnologiju za podršku različitim aspektima procesa održivosti, uzimajući u obzir interese različitih dionika. Sigurnost je jedno od mnogih pitanja pokrenutih u inicijativama Pametnog grada. Sigurnosno pitanje često se rješava uvođenjem sustava koji poboljšavaju sigurnost. Pametni gradovi predstavljaju značajne političke, specijalizirane i socioekonomske izazove donositeljima odluka kao i organizacijama uključenim u upravljanje tim modernim sustavima. Sve veći broj istrtaživanja usmjeren je na sigurnost, privatnost i rizike u Pametnim gradovima, ističući opasnosti povezane sa sigurnošću podataka i izazove za Pametni grad u kontekstu upravljanja i korištenja pojedinih informacija. Pametni grad je dio svjetskog konteksta koji utječe na programe urbanih poboljšanja i metode upravljanja. Takvi su gradovi budućnosti zamišljeni kao vješto umrežene tehnologije ugrađene u teksturu urbanih situacija koje otvaraju neiskorištene mogućnosti društvene kontrole države. Ti su gradovi zamišljeni kao tehnološko rješenje za brojna pitanja kvalitete gradskog života. Napredak nije besprijekoran i ranjiv je. Uistinu, među zagovornicima Pametnih gradova postoji neobična šutnja oko pitanja sigurnosti.

scholarly journals ANALYZING THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN E-GOVERNANCE ERA OF BANGLADESH: CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALS

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Tasnuva Habib Zisan
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
The Status ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
And Control ◽  
Status Of Women

This study examines the present status of women in the context of Electronic governance initiatives in Bangladesh. As a developing country, Bangladesh is stepping toward achieving E-governance where there is always a debate of the digital divide. Hence, this study tries to explore the challenges faced by women for access to and control over resources specifically the Information and Communication Technology tools or devices. It also aims to unveil the potentials of women's access and usage of such resources. This study employs survey data collected from study areas. Both urban and rural areas are chosen to get an overall scenario of women's status. This study is conducted in an inductive approach and findings are analyzed in a qualitative approach. The result shows that the status of women in access and usage of ICT varies in urban and rural areas due to some common constraints. The major findings of the study suggest that Information and Communication Technology has some potential for women empowerment which is explained as a case study. In this era of E-governance, most women are still facing gendered challenges such as lack of control over resources, awareness, education, and cybersecurity. JEL Classification Codes: H41, J70, O33, O38.

scholarly journals Urban governance in Latin America: Bibliometrics applied to the context of smart cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Augusto Souza FERNANDES ◽  
Andréa Oliveira QUEIROZ ◽  
Júlia Tereza Abrão Vieira Lourenço WILMERS ◽  
Wanda Aparecida Machado HOFFMANN
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Factorial Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Environmental Preservation ◽  
Information And Communication

Abstract Society lives in a dynamic, complex, and contradictory urban system that seeks the balance between urban development and environmental preservation. For this purpose, there are Information and Communication Technologies which can make the existence of Smart Cities possible. Thus, developing Smart Cities involves applying inter and multidisciplinary knowledge, which permeates even Information Science. This study analyzes Latin American scientific production by applying Bibliometrics to quantify the publications related to smart cities, geotechnologies, governance, and cadastre. We analyzed scientifi c productionindexed in the Scopus database from 2007 to 2017. We also performed the Factorial Correspondence Analysis for visualization of word clusters in order to verify their co-occurrence in the abstracts of articles. The results identifi ed Brazil as the country with the highest number of published documents. The importance of the term “Smart Cities” was evidenced with the increase of production in the last 5 years, a period that accumulates 98% of such publications. The most common term is “Geographic Information System”, that appears in 75% of the publications. Finally, in the co-occurrence of words, we identifi ed terms that corroborate with the greater objectives of smart cities.

Technologies Disability and Inclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Brusell
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Information And Communication

When modern technology permeates every corner of life, there are ignited more and more hopes among the disabled to be compensated for the loss of mobility and participation in normal life, and with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Exoskeleton Technologies and truly hands free technologies (HMI), it's possible for the disabled to be included in the social and pedagogic spheres, especially via computers and smartphones with social media apps and digital instruments for Augmented Reality (AR) .In this paper a nouvel HMI technology is presented with relevance for the inclusion of disabled in every day life with specific focus on the future development of "smart cities" and "smart homes".

scholarly journals Real-World Implementation of an ICT-Based Platform to Promote Energy Efficiency

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2416
Author(s):  
Marina Dorokhova ◽  
Fernando Ribeiro ◽  
António Barbosa ◽  
João Viana ◽  
Filipe Soares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Real World ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Flexible Devices ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
And Control

The energy efficiency requirements of most energy-consuming sectors have increased recently in response to climate change. For buildings, this means targeting both facility managers and building users with the aim of identifying potential energy savings and encouraging more energy-responsible behaviors. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform developed in Horizon 2020 FEEdBACk project intends to fulfill these goals by enabling the optimization of energy consumption, generation, and storage and control of flexible devices without compromising comfort levels and indoor air quality parameters. This work aims to demonstrate the real-world implementation and functionality of the ICT platform composed of Load Disaggregation, Net Load Forecast, Occupancy Forecast, Automation Manager, and Behavior Predictor applications. Particularly, the results obtained by individual applications during the test phase are presented alongside the specific metrics used to evaluate their performance.

scholarly journals City intelligence for enhancing urban performance value: a conceptual study on data decomposition in smart cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-222
Author(s):  
Karima Kourtit
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Data Decomposition ◽  
Blowing Up ◽  
Technology Age

AbstractThe contemporary ‘digital age’ prompts the need for a re-assessment of urban planning principles and practices. Against the background of current data-rich urban planning, this study seeks to address the question whether an appropriate methodological underpinning can be provided for smart city governance based on a data-driven planning perspective. It posits that the current digital technology age has a drastic impact on city strategies and calls for a multi-faceted perspective on future urban development, termed here the ‘XXQ-principle’ (which seeks to attain the highest possible level of quality for urban life). Heterogeneity in urban objectives and data embodied in the XXQ-principle can be systematically addressed by a process of data decomposition (based on a ‘cascade principle’), so that first, higher-level urban policy domains are equipped with the necessary (‘big’) data provisions, followed by lower-ranking urban governance levels. The conceptual decomposition principle can then be translated into a comprehensive hierarchical model architecture for urban intelligence based on the ‘flying disc’ model, including key performance indicators (KPIs). This new model maps out the socio-economic arena of a complex urban system according to the above cascade system. The design of this urban system architecture and the complex mutual connections between its subsystems is based on the ‘blowing-up’ principle that originates from a methodological deconstruction-reconstruction paradigm in the social sciences. The paper advocates the systematic application of this principle to enhance the performance of smart cities, called the XXQ performance value. This study is not empirical, although it is inspired by a wealth of previous empirical research. It aims to advance conceptual and methodological thinking on principles of smart urban planning.

scholarly journals Voice Technologies to Support Aging in Place: Opportunities and Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 317-318
Author(s):  
Alisha Pradhan ◽  
Amanda Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Aging In Place ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Actual Usage ◽  
Desktop Computers ◽  
Visual Interaction ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Internet Of Things Technology

Abstract Technology to support aging in place has been a topic of interest. Research indicates that older adults are increasingly using commercially available voice assistants in smart speakers. These devices enable non-visual interaction that does not require extensive expertise with traditional mobile or desktop computers, thus offering new possibilities of access to digital technology. We conducted two different studies with individuals aged 65 years old or above—a three week smart speaker deployment study with individuals who did not use computing devices regularly and a workshop on customizing internet of things technology with tech savvy individuals. Our findings indicate specific ways that these voice technologies might support aging in place, including ease of use and due to their not being identified with aging-specific technologies. We observed that participants consistently used their voice agent for finding online information, particularly health-related, emphasizing the need to revisit concerns about credibility of information with this new interaction medium. And, although features to support memory (e.g., setting timers, reminders) were initially perceived as useful, the actual usage was unexpectedly low due to reliability concerns. Our work provides a basis to understand older adults’ perceptions and usage of current voice technologies. We also identify opportunities for customizing voice technologies to better support aging in place.

scholarly journals Infrastructural and Social Aspects of ICT Dissemination in Rural Areas in Ukraine in Juxtaposition with Other Post-Transition Countries—State of Play and Prospects for Rural Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Synowiec
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Transition Countries ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Information And Communication

The objective of this study is to identify the current state of, and the prospects for, information and communication technologies (ICT) dissemination in rural areas in Ukraine in juxtaposition with other post-transition countries. The spread of ICT is discussed within the frame of economic, infrastructural, and social factors affecting rural areas in Ukraine since the post-communist transition period. Information and communication technologies may support the socio-economic development of peripheral areas in many ways—including rural ones. Dissemination of ICT contributes to the emergence of sources of income, equalizes education opportunities, and increases the attractiveness of rural areas. However, the rural—urban divide in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and other former USSR countries is still remarkable and, as a type of structural inequality, should be better recognized. The source material is based on secondary data, which consists of selected literature on the subject of rural development in Central and Eastern European Countries, strategic documents, available reports and studies of international institutions, research from agencies, state documents and statistics, and research conducted by international and domestic NGOs. In reference to the paper’s objective, the method of content analysis was employed. Dissemination of ICT in rural areas in Ukraine is influenced by two groups of factors. The infrastructural divide concerning Internet access between rural and urban populations in Ukraine has been diminishing, but the issue of structural exclusion due to place of residence has still not been solved. As far as the social aspects of ICT dissemination in rural areas in Ukraine are concerned, the level of digital literacy among rural dwellers is significantly lower in comparison to urban residents. Rural areas are more exposed to the consequences of various aspects of digital exclusion.

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