Smart cities must strike balance between maximizing efficiency for current conditions and leaving room for uncertainties in how needs will change in the future. In a way smart cities might be described as cities that rely more on digital infrastructure than physical infrastructure. The former would be easier and cheaper to modify with changing needs. As said in the article, innovation and technological literacy on the part of the city’s residence would be key factors. Relying instead on top-down design from a municipal government might impose too much uniformity, when the needs of the city’s residents are so diverse. While I’m usually skeptical of positivist notions that better technology will lead to more democratization, in the case of smart cities I find this idea more compelling. Crowd-sourcing and VGI do have an incredible potential to give city planners a comprehensive and dynamic view of the behavior and needs of urban residents. However, again the threat arises of the technology being diverted to serve the purposes of certain interests, bypassing the needs of the majority. Specifically, I think there is a danger of cities ending up developing to suit the needs of companies like Uber and Google. This would be especially probable if governments, with the best of intentions, started subsidizing such companies in the belief that the private sector will the most effective leader in developing smart cities. Finally, I find that this topic relates very pertinently to my seminar topic of uncertainty. I imagine that the technological, economic and environmental uncertainties with which we cope will probably only get bigger as time goes on. Smart cities will be increasingly difficult to conceive of as time passes.
– Yojo