Hyper-Connected Cities: Reaping The Benefits | |
Staff Writer |
CIO reports that city planners are careening with smart city projects, and authorities in the Middle East are no exception. The Middle East is set to host some of the most advanced smart cities in the world.
Should one look at the generic definition of a hyper-connected city, it is stated that, a city must unlock the full economic, social, environmental and business value of technology — through IoT, AI or mobile connectivity — to become one hyperconnected urban epicenter. The incredible influx of people moving into cities for personal and professional reasons further steps up the need to meet the challenge of urbanization in the swiftest way possible. The UN estimates that approximately 1.5 million people move into cities per week and this is a huge number from the construction angle. Meeting the demands of the growing numbers also means that the world must welcome the idea of a circle that will include hyperconnected cities where economic prosperity, business growth and social well-being combine to become increasingly efficient and effective.
Sustainable construction plays a key role in the development of many of the contributing factors that feed into the iterative growth of a hyper-connected city, such as social, health and business advantages that are difficult to directly monetise. However, the statistics that prove qualitative benefits – creating new business opportunities, filling talent gaps, improving public health, reducing crime, boosting productivity and addressing income inequality – are more measurable. And that is why Sustainable Construction must put its best foot forward even in the Middle East.
According to White and Case, Countries in the Middle East have been remarkably proactive in developing smart cities, with a tendency to build them from the ground up rather than incorporating technology into existing environments. The promotion and implementation of digital and data-driven technologies to enhance the socio-economic potential of these new "smart cities" and to improve the day-to-day lives of those who live there strongly depend on its green architecture right from design to delivery.
According to Smart Cities Drive, A smarter city allows public safety officials to create a more automated approach to public health by implementing preventive measures and ensuring emergency services are kept safe and available for urgent issues. In Sendai, Japan, for example, drones are being trialed for early evacuation warnings in situations of disaster prevention and mitigation. Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping malls pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and AECOM, the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, had awarded the Mall of Oman as the Sustainable Project of the Year at the Construction Innovation Awards 2021. It comes as no surprise that while the world was still contemplating about green construction and working on it on a voluntary basis, the UAE made it mandatory for all new buildings to abide by new legislation and standards as early as January 2008.
In a hyperconnected world, greater connectivity efficiencies diminish environmental impact. Car use and associated emissions can be substantially reduced with the help of smarter public transport networks that incorporate improvements facilitated by 5G and IoT deployment. These networks can analyze data from real-time updates to improve services and provide customer updates. Improving customer experience from the word ‘go’ is the key to a hyper-connected city and world.
Take a parallel example in Hyperconnected Streetlights Georgia Power. It is expanding the state’s smart LED lighting network one of the core foundational elements for many cities looking to transition into a smart city is the adoption of hyperconnected streetlights. At a basic level, streetlights are equipped with LED lights with the ability to communicate through a centralized network, allowing cities to monitor the individual characteristics (luminosity, color, energy usage) of each streetlight, and that helps with major energy savings. These connected streetlights serve as the backbone of a smart city, providing the base infrastructure for 5G and IoT technologies.
The classic story of a hyper-connected city comes from Tel Aviv, where they changed their approach to ‘citizens as customers.’ The authorities especially the local governments and authorities realised that within a municipal office largely concentrated with multiple departments all functioning in a stand-alone manner it was necessary to build a city with smarter strategies which kept the citizens central to the government’s function and design. Zohar Sharon, Tel Aviv’s Chief Knowledge Officer, explained the story of smart technology within Tel Aviv’s City Hall and its impact on resident satisfaction overall. We identified three major elements of Tel Aviv’s success as a smart city: a citizen-centric focus, knowledge management, and data-driven digital pushes. Taking the thought further as the Chief Information Officer, Liora Shechter who explained, The ROI is in the satisfaction level of the residents. Our model is built on building a better life in the city and increasing the satisfaction level of the residents.
Another inspiration when it comes to sustainable construction is Saudi Arabia’s NEOM which has been designed to respond to some of the most pressing global challenges facing urban areas and also inspire alternative ways of living. It is stated that the city will preserve 95 percent of the site's natural environment, highlighting mankind's relationship with the natural world. The construction of NEOM has been focused on making the city 100 per cent renewable -- from solar, wind and hydrogen-based electricity generation -- ensuring a zero-emissions, carbon-positive ecosystem.
Another big name that is focused on localizing the contract sector is Amaala. It has been reported that Saudi Arabia stands out, especially for its ambitious giga-projects. It is currently developing four significant smart cities—NEOM, Amaala, Qiddiya and the Red Sea Project—each involving multibillion-dollar construction contracts.
Eng. Thabet Al-Sawayeed, Governor at SCA while commenting on Amaala’s recent developments said: “This partnership is a key step towards achieving our goal of aiding Saudi contractors to participate in the new landscape of projects established to drive the Vision 2030 strategy forward successfully. Working with AMAALA and their existing contractors in this capacity will also allow us to further enable the uptake of our localization programs which incentivize organizations to empower Saudis through training and employment.”
Should one take a look at the latest addition to the sustainable construction fray, Dubai South stays at the top. On the official website, Dubai South is Dubai’s largest single urban master development focusing on an aviation and logistics ecosystem that houses the world’s largest airport when fully operational complemented by a multi-modal transport infrastructure connecting air, land and sea. Positioned as a global transport hub and a major contributor to the economic growth of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, Dubai South offers business-friendly free zone benefits and a living environment with a diverse range of residential homes and apartments to suit different lifestyles.
All said it all boils down to the fact that Tel Aviv recognised early on and that is, are cities really keeping it citizen-centric? Or is it just another technological advancement that will soon lose steam? According to Eco Consult when it comes to hyperconnected cities, Citizen engagement is vital to their success of hyperconnected cities. According to
research, ensuring citizen support apart from that of other stakeholders is the biggest obstacle to developing a smart city program, cited by 52% of cities. The figure is even higher (75%) in lower-income markets, where citizens often see smart initiatives as more beneficial for the rich. The city of Moscow in the Russian Federation provides an instructive example of best practices when it comes to citizen engagement.
In line with the ambitions of both organizations and the wider Vision 2030 goals, there is a lot left to explore in the case of hyper-connected cities. Especially the dark side of this kind of digitally empowered city. CIO rather aptly states, when we think of smart cities, visions of a utopian hyper-connected world may come to mind. But there’s a dark side: Critical city infrastructure connected via sensors and IoT networks is vulnerable to hacking.
All in all hyper-connected cities are a bold vision, one where there is much to be explored and much more to be worked on. One has to identify the challenges on the way. At best it is an ongoing experiment with multiple opportunities and minimal failures if the whole concept of hacking is taken care of.