In the midst of the continuous and often chaotic growth of metropolises, we see that public managers, specialists and the population want to carry out projects to solve urban problems, such as traffic and mobility, housing, leisure, health, preservation of the environment and sustainability, safety, among other topics.
The goals include: improving the quality of life, generating jobs and income, reducing social inequality and improving circulation in cities. However, the path towards this transformation includes several paths. Strategies and actions for the creation of smart cities are always desired and mentioned. But where does a project of this size begin?
To talk about it, the ABES Portal interviews Jamile Sabatini Marques, Director of Innovation and Promotion of this entity. A PhD student in Knowledge Management at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Jamile holds a Master's degree in Innovation Management from the École de Mines de St-Étienne, France, and is a specialist in business management.
1) What are smart cities?
It is important to note that several smart city concepts have been discussed. Studying the subject, I find that smart cities integrate all contexts of urban life, such as economy, mobility, people, places, government, environment and smart connectivity.
I can say that in a smart city, we find three interconnected dimensions:
1) People - enter the factors of intelligence, inventiveness and creativity of individuals who live and work in the city;
2) community, which concerns the ability of these people to cooperate, exchange knowledge and innovate. It's what we call collective intelligence, of the population of a city; and the
3) Technologies, which we can call artificial intelligence, with the communication infrastructure, mobility and digital systems. This technological dimension is transversal and is present in all contexts of life in the city, such as transport, health and environmental management.
2) How can public administrators lead the growing urbanization process?
Public authorities play an important role but, as we have pointed out, society needs to be mobilized – including the population, academics, artists and businessmen – so that the urbanization process is better conducted. Administrators, specifically, can contribute with public policies and tax benefits to attract entrepreneurship and innovation, can invest in programs to attract young talent, implement modern infrastructure, especially in the intensive use of information and communication technology, and encourage a lifestyle with high social awareness and environmentally sustainable. It is also important to establish partnerships with the private sector.
3) What are the main international examples of smart cities?
Melbourne, Australia; Barcelona, Spain; and Helsinki, Finland. In general, these are cities that have invested in excellence in research, with good universities and R&D institutions; established policies with a strategic vision and long-term planning; promoted the empowerment of citizens; have governance and government transparency mechanisms; and offer access to communication technologies at low prices.
4) Is there any example in Brazil of a smart city or of more modern and sustainable initiatives?
In Brazil, there are initiatives aimed at creating smart regions, or cities that claim to be smart in just one dimension. Rio de Janeiro has the Porto Maravilha project; Recife has Porto Digital. Florianópolis has a proposal for a smart region in the north of the island, around Sapiens Parque, called Florip@21.
5) How do IT and software help in the design and management of this metropolis model?
IT resources and software are present and fundamental in all dimensions of a smart city. As a result, we say that technology is transversal, as it embodies and interconnects everything, in order to reduce bureaucracy, facilitate connectivity and mobility and improve the quality of life, in addition to stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation.
6) Could you cite books or websites for those who are interested in researching more on the topic?
Most of the studies were carried out outside Brazil. Those interested can research books and articles published by Nicos Komminos, Richard Florida, Tan Yigitcanlar, Marc Wolfram, among others.
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