The Thematic Concerns of Technology's Impact on Urban Spaces in Germaine Haleqoue's 'Smart Cities'
Germaine Haleqoue's "Smart
Cities" is a science fiction story that takes place in a
futuristic metropolitan setting
whereby the urban spaces have been transformed by the advancements of technology.
Through the use of dialogue between the two main characters, Tom and Bob, the
author discusses several thematic concerns and social consequences of interest.
In the short science fiction story "Smart
Cities", Germaine Haleqoue narrates a dialogue
between two friends, Tom and Bob, in a futuristic urban
setting. The story explores several thematic concerns and
social impacts that technology may eventually
have on urban spaces.
This article examines these concerns within the context of
their influence. Through the use of science fiction to forecast and examine
such possible future conditions, real-life technological
outcomes may be better understood in order to facilitate preference for the
most positive social consequences of new technologies and prevent certain
potential negative outcomes.
Ultimately, I provide some final comments on Haleqoue's
examination of the themes in the story and the possibilities that the science
fiction genre offers for conversations about what lies ahead.
Overview of the Book's Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the book is to shed light on the character
and strategies of smart cities
as urban innovation test beds, revealing the
partially disruptive nature of the application of ICT
to actual urban settings and governance,
summoning the inherent interdisciplinary stance and the importance of planning
social and governance innovation in order to
put citizens at the core of the e-services development,
avoiding the risk of fragmenting society and excluding vulnerable categories.
Of course, the book's inherent character is to be a
contribution and, as such, a point of arrival for further in-depth analysis.
It mostly aims at master students; both attending scientific/technical
curricula or humanities curricula, with an explicit interest in smart
cities as urban innovation
test beds, PhD students in the fields that contribute to the advancement of smart
city development, and researchers
who intend to scrutinize the topic both from the technical
and the organizational or governance
standpoint.
Envisioning the city as a compact entity is not a recent
idea, although 'smartness' has been. 'Smart cities'
is at present a technology-driven concept
that alludes to efficiency and better social planning
through the use of vast amounts of data and
artificial intelligence.
The book "Smart Cities"
is designed to offer readers a concise overview of smart
cities vision, covering the most fundamental concepts,
applications, links to the urban domain and crucial challenges,
and discussing the contributions that researchers may actually deliver to
nurture the development of smarter urban
settings.
Understanding Intelligent Urban Development
In attempting to widen the perspective of research on the
theme to other dimensions of urban development beyond
the technological one, it criticizes the vision of the predominantly ICT
sector, which understands the matter as packages of technology
solutions to urban problems – a
limited vision of the urban development
complex.
In the first attempt to conceptualize intelligent
cities in the direction of general theories of urban
development, it indicates the models of urban
economists who propose a general approach that contemplates urban
development guided by the economy
with a social perspective.
Since it goes beyond the physical dimension of cities, which
is the object of the current intelligent urban models; it contemplates both the
policies of urban development with a
more comprehensive look.
Intelligent urban development
seems to have a pre-set course in the way technology
functions or dysfunctions in a confronting title. It predisposes to research
that proposes visions or concepts. Many proposals, not yet formalized in
projects, exist to claim to make "smart cities"
a reality.
In reality, however, "smart cities"
are not a clearly defined thematic area of urban development,
but a babel of possibilities offered by the new information
and communication technologies (ICTs)
applied to urban issues. Thus, the term is generic and embraces the utilization
of data transmission and processing technologies
to solve specific urban problems, as well as more ambitious proposals of
integrated models of ICT application in all urban
development dimensions.
Defining Smart Cities
Today, technology is applied to
urban problems in an effort to address themes that range from the development
of economic bottoms up to completely new governance
models and methods that address social
inclusion and democracy. This link between technology
and urban themes is contested.
Are smart cities more about
using technology to address
urban problems? or are they more about solving technology
problems to create better urban areas? The difference in perspective results in
different criteria applied to evaluate the success of smart
cities.
20th-century science
and technology produced vast urban concentrations
from an array of inventions offering
working populations 'more attractive alternatives to prolonged residence in the
urban ghetto'.
As broad themes: both draconian contemporary technology with
'Cities under Siege' and matter repelling technology of future
cities have evoked the imagination of poets and novelists, Ulises
in the former case and looking more forward Howard Morland
in the latter.
The term 'smart city' developed not
from the imagination of literature, but as a concept emerging from technical
and research communities at the intersection of post-World War II
technology and urban planning. Adriel Sand
announced the 'Program for a Smart City'
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
1967.
He began by describing existing cities and their problems
and proposed an approach that involves a 'systematic melding of the advanced
techniques of the modern corporation in the areas of computing, cybernetics,
and decision theory with the aesthetics of contemporary city development'. From
this modest beginning, the concept evolved.
Over the years, significant technology
developed, most noted of which are information technology
and telecommunications, and their identified impact
and potential enveloped the concept of smart cities,
effectively transforming the concept into a technology-driven idea that is
today's smart cities.
Technological Innovations in Urban Environments
By enacting these 'smart' changes to the urban environment, technology can enhance the quality of urban life, optimizing urban services to be more adaptive, responsive, and efficient.
For example, car-finding applications
can help to optimize transportation services,
adaptive traffic signals can work to optimize the flow of traffic, and
intelligent fire alarm systems can optimize safety services.
Similarly, the introduction of sensors for monitoring air quality or energy usage can optimize environmental services, while buildings that 'learn' the habits of their occupants can optimize comfort levels and energy usage.
All of these technological
enhancements define the urban environment
as being a space that is flexible, responsive, and one which adapts to the
behaviors of its inhabitants.
The first thematic concern of technology's
impact on urban spaces deals with the introduction of various technological
innovations within urban environments.
A diverse array of emerging technologies progresses
at varying speeds in urban environments.
Developments in transportation technology, energy technology, building technology, information technology, and biotechnology transform and can potentially enhance urban life. The ultimate result of all of these technologies is the creation of 'smart cities,' urban environments that are efficiently interwoven by technology and infrastructure.
Just a few examples of the ways in which technology is
currently altering urban spaces include public displays and sensors being
embedded in urban environments, the
customization of urban services via mobile
applications, the implementation of adaptive traffic signals, the building of
intelligent fire alarm systems, and the creation of energy-efficient
buildings that can 'learn' the patterns of their occupants.
Key Technologies Driving Smart City Initiatives
Smart cities are those
which focus on enhancing quality of life, and
building a clean, sustainable environment
and support high quality living by creating a transparent, open, creative and
effective city government. Want to build a green transportation system, improve
public safety through CCTV, or make your citizens healthy by monitoring air
quality or noise. The thematic concerns of technology's impact on urban spaces
encompass technology and urban cognition, technology and urban planning,
technology and urban culture, technology and urban ethics.
The six key technologies driving smart city initiatives are:
- Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is the foundation of smart cities and it is the most integrated concept in building smart cities.
- The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network used to connect tangible objects, which are identified and addressed via RFID, sensing and transmitting equipment through the Internet, to realize the intelligent identification, positioning, tracking, monitoring and management of the object.
- Sensor and Ad Hoc Technologies: sensor networks are often integrated in smart city infrastructure to drive data and information reads for city management and operations.
- Cloud and Data Centers: cloud computing and data centers are used to store, process and distribute information.
- Energy Technologies: energy systems, including smart grids and distributed generation must be utilized to power the smart city ICT infrastructure.
- Knowledge and Human Technologies: smart systems, instruments and technologies alone do not make a city smart. Smart citizens, workers, managers and leaders are needed.
Social and Environmental Implications
In addressing the subject of "Smart
Cities," Haleqoue
notes the theme of technology and its urban
space development extensions corresponding social
and environmental implications as an extensive
thematic concern. The development of the
argument is such that after defining “smart cities”
in technological terms, the essay moves firstly to the technological concerns.
This discussion is preceded by a general observation to be
found in the introduction. Following the discussion of technological concerns;
the essay then reaches its true focal point: presenting and discussing the many
social and environmental shortcomings.
As noted; this section is of special importance not only by
its extensive thematic portrayal but by being the essay’s true extension of the
technological theme; allowing for a more nuanced view of technology’s impact
where using it seems to bring about a purely optimistic. In closing, the essay
moves to suggestions, before ending with a general assessment.
This analysis expands on the social
and environmental implications Germaine
Haleqoue notes in her essay "Smart
Cities".
Together, the discussion presents the essay’s extensive
portrayal of themes that come along with the development and growth
of urban spaces. Through the array of concerns presented, Haleqoue
does not offer a clearly optimistic nor pessimistic view on technology’s
impact, but rather a nuanced belief that in order for a city to truly be
“smart,” those overseeing its development must first take into account its
failings.
Equity and Inclusion in Smart City Design
The thematic concerns of technology's impact
on urban spaces are threaded throughout Germaine Haleqoue's
'Smart Cities'. As increasing urbanization puts
mounting pressures on cities to perform, efficiency becomes a central concern
for urban governance.
Emerging information and communication
technologies offer new possibilities for governing those dense
urban populations, creating what Haleqoue
terms 'smart cities'. However, Haleqoue
warns that 'prior to their reflection and examination, utopian developments of
technological advances may result in unwanted consequences, disserving the
urban enterprise'.
As such, she sets out a fictional exploration of these utopian/dystopian possibilities, outlining a series of cautionary tales concerning different smart city technologies with their ideal and less-than-ideal outcomes.
The stories she tells reflect
actual issues that are being discussed in the design and implementation
of smart city technologies,
and her approach allows for an examination of the power and social dynamics at
play in smart city technology implementation
through a focus on governance and power at the urban scale.
Discussions on equity and inclusion are among the most
pressing conversations that have emerged in relation to the thematic concerns
of technology's impact on urban spaces. Haleqoue's
representation of smart cities allows for
an exploration of these discussions by laying out the potential consequences of
neglecting these concepts in city design.
Her cautionary approach suggests that without a thoughtful
and deliberate focus on equity and inclusion, the implementation of new
technologies could easily reify existing power structures that disenfranchise
particular demographic groups, making negative social control effects
through surveillance more coercive and further excluding from decision-making
processes those who are already marginalized.
These negative consequences would in turn impede the
communities from collectively achieving bona governance.
Worldwide Case Analysis
Through detailed case studies, Haleqoue presents an in-depth look at the triumphs and obstacles encountered by cities worldwide.
- Amsterdam:
- Singapore:
- San Francisco:
Conclusion
In conclusion, Germaine Haleqoue's 'Smart Cities' offers a valuable and engaging perspective on the discussion of technology, urban spaces, and their future.
Through the use of speculative fiction, the collection is able to bring up many of the key issues and concerns in a creative and engaging way, suitable for both experts and the general public.
The theme of hidden biases present in technological implementations runs throughout the collection, and is discussed in both the introduction and afterword, providing further context and explanation. This makes the collection a valuable enquirer for anyone seeking to understand current debates around tech and urban spaces.
Key Takeaways and Future Directions
As we look ahead, it is important to take into account the ethical consequences of technology's impact on urban environments within the framework of 'Smart Cities'. With the advancement of technology and its increasing integration into our cities, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the potential implications on privacy, security, and equality.
This involves an ongoing and thoughtful dialogue among policymakers, urban planners, technology experts, and the community to ensure that 'Smart Cities' lead to positive social and environmental outcomes for all.
Ethical considerations must be a primary focus in these discussions to prevent
unintended consequences and uphold the values of fairness and justice in our
urban areas.
References:
- Smart Cities Council - Smart Cities Council
- IEEE Smart
Cities - IEEE Smart Cities
- Smart Cities
World - Smart Cities World
- National League of Cities: Smart Cities - National League of Cities: Smart Cities
- Future City by
McKinsey & Company - Future City
- Urban Institute: Technology and Cities - Urban Institute: Technology and Cities
- Viable Cities
- Viable Cities
- Smart City Sweden - Smart City Sweden
- The Swedish
Institute - Smart & Sustainable Cities - The Swedish Institute
- Tekniska Verken - Tekniska Verken
- IVL Swedish
Environmental Research Institute - IVL Projects -
- Swedish smart
city articles on Ny Teknik - Ny Teknik - Smart Cities
- Urban ICT Arena - Urban ICT Arena