Smart City and Internet of Things

The aim of the research is the analysis of smart cities as an application of the Internet of Things (IoT): the concept of a smart city/community (SC) can be identified as one of the areas in which IoT technology finds its natural application. According to the Agid, the term SC means the place and/or context where the planned and wise use of human and natural resources, appropriately managed and integrated through the numerous ICT technologies already available, allows the creation of an ecosystem capable of making the best use of resources and providing integrated and increasingly intelligent services (i.e., the value of which is greater than the sum of the values of the parts that compose it). The axes on which the actions of an SC are developed are many: mobility, environment and energy, building quality, economy and ability to attract talent and investments, safety of citizens and city infrastructures, and citizen participation and involvement. Essential conditions are connectivity and the digitization of communications and services. SC is therefore a new conception of urban reality that, through an intelligent direction of the many human activities that take place within it, aims to raise the standards of sustainability, liveability, and economic dynamism of the cities of the future. Specifically, the aim of the research is to analyze the Italian situation and the development prospects of the IoT in SCs, discussing the main present and future applications.