What are some of the key social and environmental issues that emerge with the rise of smart cites
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What are some of the critical social and environmental issues that emerge with the rise of
smart cities?
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What are some of the critical social and environmental issues that emerge with the rise of
smart cities?
Smart cities are increasingly being touted as the solution to many challenges facing urban
areas today. From traffic jams to pollution to climate change, smart city technologies could make
cities better at managing problems and lasting longer (Cugurullo, 2018). However, the growth of smart cities also brings up important environmental and social issues. Smart city technologies often depend on gathering and analyzing vast amounts of data, which can be used to spy on or unfairly treat groups already on the outside. Smart city technologies can also create much electrical trash when made and thrown away. This paper will talk about some of the most critical environmental and social problems that come up with the growth of smart cities. The essay will use the work of Le Corbusier, Vincent Mosco, Shannon Mattern, Ben Green, and Jennifer Gabyrs
to argue that smart cities could solve many of the problems that cities face. However, they also bring up important social and environmental issues.
Smart cities raise social and environmental challenges, including the digital divide. The digital technology divide is between those who can utilize them successfully and those who cannot. Smart cities, where essential services are increasingly supplied online, might worsen the digital divide (Bowman, 2013). This makes it hard for non-digital users to use these services, causing social exclusion and inequity. In her book "A City Is Not a computer," Shannon Mattern proposes that smart cities be inclusive and accessible to all (Mattern, 2020). She says, "Smart cities should be designed to serve everyone, not just the privileged few." Mattern emphasizes the digital gap in smart city development. She believes smart cities should provide digital technology
to all people, regardless of money, education, or other characteristics. Smart cities must solve the
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digital gap, a major social and environmental challenge. To take advantage of smart city services and possibilities, all inhabitants must have access to and use digital technologies.
The rise of smart cities enhances monitoring and privacy abuses. A massive network of sensors and cameras collects resident and activity data in smart cities. This data can enhance city services and efficiency or follow citizens without consent. Abuse of smart city monitoring and privacy is a significant worry (Cowley & Caprotti, 2019). Police might use smart city data to track people without warrants. Private corporations might use it to track and advertise to individuals. Lack of openness and accountability in smart city data utilization is another issue. Smart city data collectors and users often need to be discovered. Residents need help to govern their data and hold collectors and users accountable. In "The Digital Sublime," Vincent Mosco claims that smart cities are "panopticons," or total monitoring societies (Mosco, 2005). He says, "smart cities are designed to monitor and control every aspect of our lives." Mosco emphasizes privacy and civil liberties in smart city development. He believes smart cities should prioritize privacy and data control for people. Smart city development must handle social and environmental concerns, including increasing monitoring and privacy abuses. We must preserve privacy and use smart city data transparently and responsibly.
Smart cities lead to increased energy consumption. Smart city technology, like data centers and sensors, demands much energy. Smart cities should use renewable energy to reduce their environmental effect. Greenhouse gas emissions from smart city energy usage are a significant problem. Smart cities fueled by fossil fuels may accelerate global warming and climate change (D'Auria et al., 2018). Energy price increases are another problem. Smart city technology and efforts may increase energy usage, raising households' and businesses' energy expenditures. In her book "Smart Cities: Governing the Future," Jennifer Gabyrs advocates for
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sustainable and resilient smart cities. She says, "Smart cities should be designed to minimize their environmental impact and to be able to withstand shocks and stresses." Gabyrs' research emphasizes energy consumption in smart city development. She believes smart cities should use renewable energy and be energy-efficient (Gabrys, 2015). Smart city development must address energy usage as a significant social and environmental concern. Smart cities should be energy-
efficient and use renewable energy to reduce environmental impact and lower energy costs for people and companies.
Gentrification and displacement are another smart city social and environmental challenge. Gentrification occurs when affluent residents and companies move into a community (Hess, 2014). Rising housing costs or other circumstances push residents to move. Smart city investments can cause gentrification and displacement in several ways. First, smart city technology and infrastructure may make areas more attractive and pricier. Second, smart city projects can attract new firms and industries, raising housing costs. Third, smart city strategies may favor wealthy inhabitants and enterprises over low-income ones (Hess, 2014). Gentrification and displacement may harm residents and communities. Gentrification raises rents
and housing costs, making it hard for low-income individuals to dwell in their areas. Displacement can cause social isolation and make it hard to receive critical services. According to Ben Green's "Austerity Urbanism," smart city investments typically displace low-income inhabitants and construct "gated cities" for the rich (Green, 2019). He says, "smart cities are designed to exclude the poor and to create a new urban apartheid." Green emphasizes the need to
consider gentrification and displacement in smart city development. He believes smart city rules should safeguard low-income citizens and benefit all inhabitants from smart city initiatives. In smart city development, gentrification and displacement must be tackled as important social and
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environmental issues. Smart city regulations should safeguard low-income households and benefit all inhabitants from smart city initiatives.
With smart cities comes a need for more public engagement in decision-making, another social and environmental challenge. Private enterprises and government organizations typically construct smart cities without citizen involvement (Cugurullo, 2018). This can result in smart cities that fail citizens and worsen social and environmental inequality. Public engagement in smart city development ensures that programs and initiatives represent citizens' needs and ideals. Public engagement may also uncover and minimize smart city drawbacks like gentrification and displacement. Smart city development sometimes needs more public engagement. Lack of openness and accountability in smart city development and local ignorance about smart cities are
to blame. In "The Radiant City," Le Corbusier envisioned a metropolis constructed by specialists and engineers with limited inhabitant participation (Corbusier, 2013). He thought specialists understood what was best for the city and that citizens should follow them. Modern urban planners understand the necessity of citizen engagement in smart city development. Public engagement can make smart cities inclusive, sustainable, and suit people's demands. Social and environmental issues arise from smart city development without public engagement. Smart communities must give inhabitants real chances to engage in decision-making to represent their needs and beliefs.
Smart city technologies can also lead to job displacement. This is because smart city technology can automate many human functions. Smart kiosks and self-driving automobiles might replace retail personnel and taxi and truck drivers, respectively (Bowman, 2013). Some people may lose their employment owing to smart city technology. This might influence the economy and workers' lives. In her book "Smart Cities: Governing the Future," Jennifer Gabyrs
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suggests smart cities should generate employment rather than eliminate them. According to Gabrys (2015), "smart cities should invest in education and training to help workers develop the skills they need to succeed in the new economy." Investment in education and training programs to prepare workers for smart city occupations can reduce the adverse effects of job displacement.
Governments might fund data science, AI, and robotics training programs. Social safety nets for unemployed workers can also reduce the harmful effects of job relocation. Governments might offer unemployment compensation and job retraining. Job displacement must be addressed to guarantee that smart cities benefit all citizens. Smart city technology may provide employment or
displace them. To assist people, prosper in the new economy, invest in education and training programs, and create social safety nets for laid-off workers.
Smart cities raise data ownership and control issues. Smart cities capture massive resident
and activity data (Cowley & Caprotti, 2019). Private firms and government organizations value this data. Residents may be exploited or manipulated using this info. Residents should have control over their data and see how it is utilized. Smart cities gather data from sensors, cameras, and cell phones. Data can enhance city services like traffic control and public transit. It helps develop new goods and services and focuses on advertising and marketing. Smart city data may be misused for surveillance and social control. Citizens might be tracked and monitored without their consent using smart city data. Personalization of advertising can influence people's behavior. In "Austerity Urbanism," Ben Green claims smart cities produce a "data surveillance state." He says, "smart cities collect and analyze as much resident data as possible to control and manage them" (Green, 2019). Green emphasizes data privacy and security in smart city development. He believes citizens should own and control smart city data and have the right to view and remove it. Thus, smart city development must handle data ownership and control, a
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primary social and environmental concern. Residents should have control over their data and see how it is utilized.
Overall, the growth of smart cities brings both great chances and significant problems for people and the environment. On the one hand, smart city technologies could make towns more eco-friendly, efficient, and comfortable. However, they also bring up important issues of social and environmental worry. This essay has talked about some of the main problems that come up with the growth of smart cities. These problems include the digital divide, the possibility of more
surveillance and privacy violations, energy use, gentrification and displacement, lack of public participation, job loss, and who owns and controls the data. These problems need to be thought about when smart cities are being built to make sure they help all of their people and are suitable for the earth. To do this, smart city policies need to change to focus on the wants and beliefs of all residents and be open, honest, and answerable. It is essential for everyone involved—
governments, private businesses, and residents—to work together to make smart towns that are truly smart for everyone.
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References
Bowman, M. (2013). A Tale of Two CITES: Divergent Perspectives upon the Effectiveness of the
Wildlife Trade Convention. Review of European Community & International Environmental Law, 22(3), 228–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12049
Corbusier, L. (2013).
Towards a new architecture
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Cowley, R., & Caprotti, F. (2019). Smart city as anti-planning in the UK. Environment and Planning. D, Society & Space, 37(3), 428–448. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263775818787506
Cugurullo, F. (2018). Exposing smart cities and eco-cities: Frankenstein urbanism and the sustainability challenges of the experimental city. Environment and Planning. A, 50(1), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17738535
D’Auria, A., Tregua, M., & Vallejo-Martos, M. (2018). Modern Conceptions of Cities as Smart and Sustainable and Their Commonalities. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 10(8), 2642–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082642
Gabrys, J. (2015). Programming environments: Environmentality and citizen sensing in the smart
city. In
Smart Urbanism
(pp. 88–107). Routledge.
Green, B. (2019).
The smart enough city: putting technology in place to reclaim our urban future
. MIT Press.
Hess, D. J. (2014). Smart meters and public acceptance: comparative analysis and governance implications. Health, Risk & Society, 16(3), 243–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2014.911821
Mattern, S. (2020). A city is not a computer. In
The Routledge Companion to Smart Cities
(pp. 17–28). Routledge.
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Mosco, V. (2005).
The digital sublime: Myth, power, and cyberspace
. Mit Press.
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