The Age of the Smart City: Better Cities Through Smarter Infrastructure

Essay, Imminent Urban Commons, Nicole Dupuis, National League of Cities, No Density, Politics and economics, Senseable Technologies, Technology and fabrication, Territory and mobility, Urban Paradigms, Van Alen Institute

America, America’s Infrastructure, Civic Technologies, Communicating, Economics, Emergent technologies, Essay, Global Awareness, Imminent Commons, Infrastructure, Intelligent Infrastructure, Mobility, Moving, Planetary urbanizations, Political implications, Politics, Responsive technologies, Rethinking Urban Environments, Sensing, Sensors, Seoul Biennale 2017, Smart city, Smart infrastructure, Technology, Urban infrastructure, Urban mobility, Urban Paradigms, USA

Previously published in Van Alen Report 19: America's Infrastructure. Van Alen Report is an interdisciplinary digest published semiannually by Van Alen Institute that gathers expert perspectives on subjects that are redefining society’s relationship to cities and the built environment. Van Alen Report 19 offers a sweeping exploration of how leaders may repair U.S. infrastructure in ways that support better and more just outcomes for all.

A city’s strength is defined by how well it delivers essential services, identifies and responds to the needs of its citizens, and supports equity within its society. The advent of smart cities—municipalities that harness the power of data and the Internet of Things to improve the performance of infrastructure and city services—has unleashed unprecedented opportunities for cities to better themselves and the quality of life of their citizens.