The Open University is at the forefront of examining how \u2018smart cities\u2019 work. But what is a smart city? Do you know if you live in one? And how might they change how we live and work in the future?<\/p>\n
Dr Oliver Zanetti<\/a> and\u00a0 Professor Sophie Watson<\/a> \u2013 who appear on Radio 4\u2019s Thinking Allowed<\/a> on Wednesday 25 July at 4pm<\/a> talking about this \u2013 explain what a smart city is and what kinds of things could happen there.<\/p>\n The concept of a smart city is to use technology and the huge amounts of data it generates to make cities work better for the people in them. This data, known as \u2018big data\u2019, can be collected on all sorts of things: traffic flow, energy use, pollution, income inequality \u2013 almost anything that can be measured in fact.<\/p>\n The aim of smart city technologies is to bring that data together and do something useful with it. With today\u2019s powerful computing this often happens immediately, or in other words, in \u2018real time\u2019. Traffic data might help you get to work more quickly; energy use and pollution data could help us all to use resources more efficiently; other data might help citizen groups to campaign for new social services.<\/p>\n Dr Oliver Zanetti says: \u201cThis is an exciting time for cities, and no one really knows what the future holds. In 50 years, I think, in many ways, our cities will look much the same, with the same buildings and streetscapes. But some aspects of our daily life will have changed beyond recognition. How? Who knows? But certainly, they will be a lot smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n Here’s Professor Gillian Rose, part of the research team, introducing the concept of a smart city:<\/p>\nWhat is a \u2018smart city\u2019?<\/strong><\/h2>\n