View from the outside: unmasking the possibilities for smart city design

This article first appeared in Mix Interiors #230

Words: Madeleine Kessler

The successful city is a place to live and call home. It is cultural, relevant, resilient and, above all, constantly evolving. In 1997 the Smart Cities World Forum predicted that within a decade there would be 50,000 Smart Cities, which would globally transform our behaviour and lifestyles. More than a quarter of a century later we are far from reaching this vision. Instead, the Smart City has all too often become a buzzword, synonymous with marketing and political jargon, rather than any meaningful urban advancement. But we must not let this distract us from the huge potential for the Smart City to truly innovate and revolutionise the way we live. Integrating smart technologies into urban, architectural and interior design is one of the most important infrastructure projects of the 21st century.

The flourishing Smart City integrates physical, digital and human interaction in the built environment to deliver a sustainable and livable city. It is a catalyst for growth. In the UK we need to focus both on upgrading our existing cities as well as incorporating smart ideas into new towns and cities from the outset. For example, incorporating sensors into the physical fabric of the city as it is built or repaired can enable local authorities to use real time data to identify bottlenecks in the infrastructure, so that they can direct their resources efficiently. But striking the balance between technology and the city is difficult to get right, as demonstrated by the hugely expensive ghost-town of Songdo in South Korea – a Smart City whose systems relied on a critical mass of people it never achieved. We must ensure that we consider technology in tandem with urban design, placemaking and the environment.

To enhance the performance, function and dynamism of our urban development we must incorporate smart technology and smart thinking into our urban planning, design principles and building codes. A design-led approach to smart cities encourages digital interfaces to become intuitive extensions of the urban landscape, so that technology enhances rather than detracts from the urban experience. It provides opportunities to future-proof our cities and design for change.

Autonomous vehicles, for example, will likely lead to a decrease in demand for city centre car-parking, allowing high-value land space to be freed up for other uses. We should start thinking about the potential for these spaces now. Likewise, new car parks should be designed as demountable or easily programmable for change of use. Where smart systems are in use, studies have shown that users often limit live feedback to technical data, rather than utilising it to respond immediately to a citizen’s needs. To allow such technology to improve the functioning of our cities we must ensure that we educate everyone to think ‘smartly’.

Cities have always been a living laboratory for urbanism, infrastructure and building. For centuries the most successful cities have continued to adapt and evolve, allowing them to flourish. There is a profound opportunity for design and technology to shape a more sustainable, inclusive and joyful future of urban living. We must prioritise a human-centric design-led approach to our cities that integrates technology into our urban fabric at every scale. The Smart City is not a new concept, but making a success of it will be one of the greatest 21st century challenges, and a great accomplishment for future civilisation.