SMART CITIES
INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY
How do we define a smart city in South Africa?
As South Africa’ s smart city agenda gathers momentum, the focus is shifting from headlinegrabbing technology projects to more inclusive, data-driven approaches that improve everyday urban life. Morag Evans, CEO of Databuild, tells us how smart cities should be defined less by gadgets and more by governance, integration and intelligent use of information to deliver sustainable, people-centred outcomes in the built environment.
In recent years, the term‘ Smart City’ has become a buzzword attached to various developments across the country.
But what does it really mean? Contrary to popular belief, a Smart City is not defined by how much technology has been installed. It is defined by how well that city uses information, infrastructure and institutions to improve the lives of people who live and work there.
That is the thread running through the Department of Cooperative Governance’ s South African Smart Cities Framework. It sets out a decision-making framework rather than a shopping list of gadgets. But from a construction perspective, how can this conversation be anchored in reality?
What global definitions agree on
Globally, there is no single definition of a Smart City, but the reputable frameworks share common elements. UN-Habitat’ s guidelines on people-centred Smart Cities describe a Smart City as one that leverages technology to improve quality of life, advance human rights, reduce inequality and support sustainable development, with people rather than devices at the centre.
The World Bank has taken a similar view in its work on Smart Cities. It highlights the role of technology and data as tools for more sustainable, resilient and well-managed cities, not as ends in themselves. An article published by the World Bank years ago still holds up. It describes a Smart City as a welcoming, inclusive and open city that listens to its citizens, uses evidence to make decisions and continues to learn from others.
A Smart City is therefore a city that uses information intelligently, governs transparently and invests in systems that improve everyday life.
The South African interpretation
The South African Smart Cities Framework was developed to provide municipalities and other role-players a structured way to think about smart initiatives. Importantly, it does not prescribe a rigid checklist. Instead, it offers an interpretation built around the idea of an inclusive Smart City.
The framework highlights several guiding principles, including that:
• A Smart City must be‘ smart for all’ and not only for a connected minority.
• Technology should be an enabler, not the driver.
• Smart initiatives must be shaped by local context and informed by real community needs.
• Partnerships, innovation, sustainability, resilience and safety are essential.
Another COGTA document puts it in more traditional planning language, describing a Smart City as a settlement where investments in human and social capital, together with traditional and modern communication and infrastructure, support sustainable economic development and a high quality of life through participatory governance.
The important implication is that a small municipality can become‘ smarter’ without ever branding itself as a flagship Smart City. The focus is on smarter decisions, services and the use of limited resources, not only on building something new from scratch. • www. intelligentcio. com
INTELLIGENT CIO AFRICA
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