In just the first few weeks of 2018, we’ve already heard much about the promise and opportunity of smart cities. We’re talking about them at every conference – from CES to the US Conference of Mayors and everywhere in between.
But there’s a tough reality stirring behind all of this fanfare – and it is that communities seeking to achieve truly smart cities have faced an almost overwhelming path that is riddled with confusing choices, individualized attempts and small wins.
Technologists, city planners, and city leaders are grappling with a tremendous number of questions and decisions as they eagerly try to leverage smart technology to improve government services, urban quality of life, sustainability, and more. What number and combination of sensors, beacons, and meters provides enough data to enhance quality of life? How many smart lights, smart parking spaces, smart energy and water meters constitutes a smart city? Put together, all of these questions are making city leaders second-guess whether and how to make investments in smart city infrastructure and technology.
One way to simplify the process is to start with one core element of every city’s landscape – its buildings. Because buildings typically are self-managed, they offer a good starting point – developing smart buildings will give rise to smart campuses, which will foster smart communities, and eventually smart cities. Simply put, smart buildings will create a scalable foundation for creating the elusive smart city, building by building, from the ground up.