Smart Cities: Development and Benefits

With rapidly increasing urbanization, new ways of living and policies are racing to catch the train of modernization while meeting the changing demands of growing populations. Following the introduction, the second part of this chapter describes the pillars of smart cities as a response to growing worldwide urbanization. The third part details benefits across areas, including economic, demographic, environmental, social, and health. The fourth part sheds light on the nature of governance required for this transition into intelligent and interconnected cities. However, on the path of transition, governments face significant challenges—outlined in part fifth. Finally, given the great need for data-driven policy, the final section suggests ways of smart data collection that meet the standards of research and governance in smart cities. The last part concludes.