Smart cities are here—and you might not even realize it.
In 2022, smart cities offer vast digital infrastructures: remote working, online libraries, responsive energy grids, and smart homes. If your hometown boasts these features, you already live in a smart city. But millions more will reside in smart cities in 2032. In a decade, smart cities will have transformed work and lifestyles worldwide. Using AI solutions, cloud computing and other digital solutions, smart cities in 2032 could be more sustainable. They might boast better healthcare. And, they could even give a basic income to all. Or, they might infringe privacy and create an overly artificial world.
What are smart cities?
Smart cities are urban areas with interconnected, intelligent services. They exist worldwide. And, they are growing. Brisbane, Singapore, Moscow, New York, and Shanghai are prominent examples.
The term supposedly derives from a 2008 marketing campaign, but cities have used technology to optimise residents’ lives for decades now. Recognisable measures include CCTV, app-based bike-sharing schemes, waste management systems, and online community services. Clearly, these initiatives promote health, drive sustainability, and reduce crime.
Yet they also impinge on privacy, because they collect data. And in essence, that’s what defines the concept of a smart city. Smart technologies harvest data. Information from smart technologies then feeds forward into operations across the city. And ideally, this improves services. Sound familiar? Probably.
But smart cities in 2032 will boast unrecognizable innovations.
Smart cities in 2032: what will they include?
To address global challenges, smart cities in 2032 will use revolutionary tech. Such technologies are data-driven and solution-oriented: AI, the Internet of Things, cloud-based systems, and more. Since global problems are interconnected, in smart cities the solutions are too. Below, we discuss some of these problems, potential solutions, and possible consequences.
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Driverless cars will change the face of smart cities
In 2032, according to UN projections, the world’s population will exceed 8.5 billion. What’s more, half of us will inhabit cities. So, getting around cities needs to be easier.
Driverless cars will use tech to communicate with passengers and each other. Responsive and efficient, they will reduce congestion. Mainly, they will do this by optimizing parking. And, they are safer. Swedish smart cities Stockholm and Gothenburg have pioneered driverless buses and cars already. And many notable manufacturers are trialling driverless cars in 2022. So, smart cities in 2032 are likely to offer their residents a mix of self-driving public transport and other vehicles. Can you picture an easier commute? All the same, it lacks the freedom of driving your own car.
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Sustainable smart cities could help the planet
With climate change fuelling inequality, smart cities must promote sustainability. Sustainable smart initiatives use tech to conserve resources. So, smart cities in 2032 will feature widespread harvesting of rainwater (for non-drinking purposes). And, they will automate luminosity across all districts. What’s more, reducing pollution and carbon emissions will be key for smart cities in 2023. Smart air quality monitoring, already used in Beijing, will become widespread.
As a side note, driverless cars will also promote sustainability by enabling better city planning. In turn, this promotes greener, more efficient usage of space and resources.
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Citizens will benefit from smarter healthcare
Smart healthcare already includes remote access to care. Ranging from video consultations to encrypted records, the trend is set to grow. In the coming decade, AI and medical robotics will revolutionize surgery. This automation could promote better outcomes for patients. What’s more, in our homes, smart devices will monitor vital signs and medical indicators. Then, they will communicate data directly to professionals. And data won’t just be used for individual health monitoring. Smart cities in 2032 will use analytics to respond to wider issues. That means they will wield information to alert citizens to diverse health matters, from infection risks to sanitation, safe sex, and more. None of this is outside the realms of possibility. After all, we saw how cities and nations used health data throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
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Digital finance could dominate everyday life
In smart cities in 2032, smart technologies could account for almost all banking, buying, and selling. Smartphones could accompany every shopping experience, even in person, as deep learning retail environments like Amazon Go proliferate. So you might do your weekly grocery shop, or buy a new outfit, and not interact with anyone in person. Furthermore, smart cities in 2032 will likely use digital taxation systems. This will allow governments worldwide to combat tax evasion and avoidance. Jobs, income, and expenditure will continue to change. And, building on the emergency pandemic measures worldwide, some form of universal basic wage might even apply. It’s worth noting that digitized finance has increased its reach, even since 2020. Nonetheless, many people already oppose this automation. Usually, this is on grounds of privacy. Others, however, welcome the decentralization of money. And with cryptocurrencies multiplying, the possibilities for the future of money are endless.
What vision for smart cities in 2032?
Cutting-edge digital advances, from NFTs to deep learning, are already at play in cities worldwide. Smart cities are here; millions of us live in them today. And in ten years, they will be unrecognizable. Used well, the smart tech could combat pressing issues already faced in 2022. It could alleviate the climate crisis and fight resource scarcity. Innovations from automated air monitoring to universal basic income might revolutionize millions of lives. This could transform the future of our planet, promote health and sustainability, and improve well-being and equality.
Yet technology is only as good as those who wield it. Moreover, smart innovations are data-driven. So, they can infringe on privacy. At worst, they can even entail surveillance. And despite the efficiencies of automation, perhaps it comes at the cost of our humanity.
One thing is for sure: smart cities in 2032 will have altered work and lifestyles forever.
The question remains how.
