will the smart city be interesting? will it be greener? Richard Herriott PhD fellow Aarhus School of Architecture richard.herriott@aarch.dk
introduction "Aarhus har store ambitioner om at blive en smart by, hvor man indtænker den nyeste teknologi i beslutningstagning, byplanlægning og strategier" (Aarhus has big ambitions to be a smart city, where one includes the newest techonology in decision-making, city planning and strategies.) http://www.smartaarhus.dk/vision/ Photo source (right) : International Herald Tribune, Sept 23, 2012
Among the goals of the smart city are these: -at udvikle en kommune, der tilbyder borgerne en effektiv offentlig service, mindsker CO2-udslippet, styrker kulturlivet og skaber en bæredygtig fremtid -to develop a municipality that offers citizens an effective public service, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, strengthen cultural life and create a sustainable future -at borgerne får glæde af at bo og arbejde i en bæredygtig, spændende og åben by -that citizens can enjoy living and working in an sustainable, exciting and open city (- http://www.smartaarhus.dk/vision/) Photo source (left): Hil-techbiz.com
the question is this: Have we been here before with an impressive new technology offering a wide variety of solutions?
Aarhus is boring The interesting bit is about 5 sq km (twenty minutes walk) while the rest is 70 sq km Source: lower left: http://www.denstoredanske.dk/danmarks_geografi_og_historie/danmarks_geografi/jylland/jylland_-_byer/%c3%85rhus Top right: I lost it among all the similar pictures, sorry, it s Vejle somewhere Top left: TV2 http://www.tv2oj.dk/artikel/130749:aarhus--draebt-i-sammenstoed
What precisely is wrong? The density is too low (but high rise is not the answer) The refusal to build streets since 1950-something Reliance on "Architecture" Consensus thinking Planning is a process for developers, commercial architects and civil servants served by elected decision-makers.
How did we get here? A combination of the interests of the private sector, housing associations and local government. A focus on quantitative parameters. - land zoned for single uses - private individuals housing - utopian social housing - the abandonment of the street format - and a sincere belief that people would be best served by re-engineering the city around cars References: Sennett, 1971. Uses of Disorder Jacobs, 1961 Death and Life of Great American Cities Traffic in Towns - A Study of the Long Term Problems of Traffic in Urban Areas - Reports of the Steering Group and Working Group appointed by the Minister of Transport. London: HMSO. 1963.
("Aarhus has a big ambition to be a smart city, where one includes the newest technology in decision-making, city planning and strategies") In the 1960s the smart technology was in system-built apartment blocks and in private motor transport. And this technology was included in the decision-making, city planning and strategies. What s different this time? ICT is being asked to help make Aarhus more ecological, more interesting while promoting economic activity.
Claims for smarter cities Citizen services Using ICT to make existing processes involving interaction between the municipality and citizens better, cheaper, or both. Regional/economic development ICT-oriented economic development or regeneration. Aimed at attracting digital industries or residents that make real estate decisions based on the availability of broadband. Community Using ICT and crowdsourcing to increase community cohesion or influence and improve the political system. Typically started by civil sector organizations or social enterprises. Law enforcement Using ICT to improve law enforcement and/or crime prevention through surveillance or improved communications for operatives. Resource management The use of ICT to improve the functioning of citywide systems to use energy and other resources more efficiently..behavioral change Using ICT to facilitate behavioral change by providing information or tools that make the desired behavior easier or more attractive (traffic and energy use). Health The use of ICT to promote or deliver healthcare and control illness or disease. http://smartcitiesindustrysummit.com/
Carbon dioxide output and IT What s this? Photo source (right) : International Herald Tribune, Sept 23, 2012
-to develop a municipality that offers citizens an effective public service, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, strengthen cultural life and create a sustainable future The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a figure equivalent to aviation, according to a new estimate by Gartner, Inc. Despite the overall environmental value of IT, Gartner believes this is unsustainable.. 1 and Worldwide, the digital warehouses use about 30 billion watts of electricity, roughly equivalent to the output of 30 nuclear power plants, according to estimates industry experts compiled for The New York Times.2 Source 1: April 26, 2006. Source: Gartner, http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867 2: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/technology/data-centers-waste-vast-amounts-of-energy-belying-industry-image.html?src=me&ref=general
What I am not saying - that ICT is inherently or entirely bad - that the smart city concept is wrong Hollands, R.G Will the real smart city please stand up? Intelligent, progressive or entrepreneurial? City: analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action Volume 12, Issue 3, 2008
What I am saying - the kommune needs to audit the CO2 cost of its projected reliance on CO2 - innovation needs densityref - the planning goals of Aarhus need to be met with other tools, other assumptions as well as market-liberal solutions. Brian Knudsen, Richard Florida, Gary Gates, and Kevin Stolarick URBAN DENSITY, CREATIVITY, AND INNOVATION May 2007
What I am saying, even simpler We ve 75 km of urbanised land, 850,000 people. Can one concept encompass this and reverse decades of the wrong kind of growth?
answers to the initial questions are smart cities interesting? not necessarily; it s a neutral technical intervention. are they green? not if they increase energy consumption for data management, not if the physical infrastructure is still low-density, not if the growth is old-school