The terms “smart city” and “smart community” have attracted lots of attention to sustainable living. Current urban infrastructure is eating away at precious resources and polluting the environment, and the need for greener alternatives is becoming more apparent.
Many people have built more eco-friendly lifestyles and residences on a micro level, but when will these changes happen on a wider scale? How close are we to creating smart communities? Here’s what’s happening now with smart city development, from housing to transportation to technology.
ENERGY CONSERVATION WITH SMART TECHNOLOGY
The primary motivation behind creating smart communities is energy conservation. The largest metropolitan areas are also some of the most polluted places on Earth. Much of this contamination comes from particulate matter emitted from construction, automobiles, heating buildings and other widespread sources.
Cities worldwide have started experimenting with new eco-friendly technologies to overcome reliance on fossil fuels, artificial building materials and other pollutants. These devices use artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to help make everyday tasks more efficient and conserve energy.
So far, Singapore has set the global example for smart technology integration. In 2014, the city’s Land Transport Authority partnered with IBM to include fusion analytics in the public transportation system. They used telecommunications data and video footage from train stations to find more energy-efficient ways to support people’s daily commutes.
Singapore’s reliance on smart technology is also evident in its electricity consumption. The entire population has electricity access and has steadily used more in the last decade. This development has played a key role in reducing the country’s air pollution. As a result, Singapore became the first BreatheLife city in Southeast Asia in 2018.