In its report “Street Smart: Putting the citizen at the center of Smart City initiatives”, the Capgemini Research Institute studied how sustainable urban planning has become a part of the considerations of city dwellers. Concerns about pollution, sustainable development and access to digital services are at the heart of their questions about smart cities.

In today’s digital age, urban life is not living up to the ever-changing expectations of citizens. This is the finding of a new report from the Capgemini Research Institute, which surveyed 10,000 citizens and more than 300 city officials in 10 countries and 58 cities.

The report points out that many city dwellers are dissatisfied with the current development of their city and would be willing to move to a city that is more engaged in a digital transition program. 40% of city dwellers surveyed worldwide cite a variety of reasons why they might decide to leave their city in the near future, including “digital frustration”.

The report “Street Smart: Putting the citizen at the center of Smart City initiatives. reveals that more than half of the city dwellers surveyed (58%) believe that Smart Cities are sustainable and that they provide better quality urban services (57%). This explains why more than a third (36%) are willing to pay more for this enriched urban lifestyle. However, the implementation of these initiatives presents significant challenges, particularly in terms of data and funding.

According to the report, only one in ten city officials believe that the implementation of a Smart City vision for their municipality is at an advanced stage, while less than a quarter of them (about 22%) have started to deploy Smart City initiatives. While two-thirds of the world’s population could be living in a city by 2050, and while the number of megacities could increase from 33 today to 43 by 2030, the desire of city dwellers around the world to live in a Smart City has grown: a challenge that cities should take into account when considering how to accelerate their transition.

The key to an improved urban lifestyle

According to the report, the implementation of a sustainable development programme by their city is an increasingly important issue in the eyes of city dwellers: pollution (42%) and the lack of sustainable initiatives (36%) are major concerns, which could motivate them to leave their city. Over the last three years, 42% of city leaders said that sustainable initiatives are lagging behind, and 41% said that the lack of a sustainable development programme in the next 5 to 10 years is one of the five main consequences of not adopting digital technologies.

Smart City initiatives are leading to tangible improvements in urban services at all levels. However, according to the Capgemini report, this method of evaluation is simplistic without taking into account the perception of city dwellers, particularly the satisfaction in terms of quality of life that Smart City initiatives provide.

For example, 73% of those surveyed favoured improving air quality, which is beneficial to their health. This percentage drops to 56% among city dwellers who do not use urban services provided by a Smart City. More than one-third of city dwellers (36%) say they are willing to pay to live in a Smart City. This figure is higher among the youngest and most affluent city dwellers: 44% among Generation Y, 41% among Generation Z and 43% among respondents earning more than US$80,000.

Data and funding are barriers to the implementation of the initiatives.
While Smart Cities can address some of the traditional negative aspects of urban life, such as public transit and security, there are serious challenges in implementing these initiatives.

Data is an integral part of Smart City optimization, yet 63% of city dwellers surveyed worldwide believe that the privacy of their personal data is more important than access to first-class urban services.

Moreover, nearly 70% of city officials explain that financing their budget is a major challenge, and 68% of them say they are struggling to build the digital platforms needed to deploy and make Smart City initiatives accessible. At the same time, 54% of city dwellers surveyed believe that the BigTechs6 would provide better services than those provided by their city.

Matthias Wieckmann, Head of Digital Strategy for the City of Hamburg, explains :

“When considering the implementation of a Smart City initiative, it is advisable to start with small-scale projects that can be tested before being deployed, so that they can demonstrate their impact and economic viability in order to obtain the necessary funding. Smaller solutions for the early stages of their project will allow city managers to move forward more quickly, which would not be the case with the launch of large-scale projects from the outset. In this way, it is easier to obtain support and funding. »

Smart City initiatives help cities address the VIDOC crisis-19
Smart Cities can contribute to a better management of pandemics. According to the Capgemini report, as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders are using technology to address some of the challenges facing their cities. 68% of them say that digital initiatives, such as applications connecting users to health infrastructures or facilitating remote patient monitoring, are helping them manage the current crisis.

The city of Bangalore in India has transformed its control centre into a “crisis cell” to monitor patients and develop containment plans using thermal map technologies7. 7 In Rome, airport staff use smart helmets equipped with augmented reality and thermal sensors to screen multiple travellers at the same time, while maintaining a safe distance.

To speed up the implementation of a Smart City, close collaboration between key stakeholders is needed

Deploying and financing innovative technologies and projects is not enough in itself to create a Smart City. Collaboration between all project stakeholders – city officials, citizens and third parties (including start-ups, universities or venture capital firms) – is essential.

The report concludes with three recommendations:

• Develop a vision of Smart City with sustainability and resilience as a cornerstone.
• Enable city officials to take on the role of entrepreneurs and, at the same time, guarantee data protection in order to build trust.
• Building a culture of innovation and collaboration with city dwellers within the city’s ecosystem.

Pierre-Adrien Hanania, Head of Artificial Intelligence for the Public Sector at Capgemini, explains :

“The perception and status of a Smart City is now a key differentiating factor for citizens. It is therefore essential for urban planners and city managers to take this dimension into account; as citizens are a city’s most intelligent resource, they must be placed at the heart of Smart City initiatives. The city must work to ensure that technology-based initiatives provide citizens with the experiences and quality of life they seek. This will enable it to stem the outflow of its residents.

In addition, the city will be able to organise a digital transition in the image of its population, for the benefit of citizens who are now willing to invest in their homes. In addition, Smart Cities initiatives enable cities to be more resilient in the face of crises such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, to achieve this, it is essential to federate the entire data ecosystem and the city’s stakeholders around a master plan and a central axis consisting of the city’s DNA, data privacy and the viability of the overall vision. »

To view the full study and its recommendations, click here.

Translated from Ville intelligente : la demande de smart cities lié au développement durable et à la transition numérique augmente