Quality Of Life And Sustainability In Smart Cities

With the potential to improve sustainability using ICT (Information and Communication Technology), ‘smart cities’ are good options to accommodate the increasing population while providing the citizens with a high quality of life.

In the era of ‘all things smart and digital’ like smartphones and smart TVs, ‘smart cities’ is a new entrant. Just like a smartphone brings the entire world to our fingertips, a smart city incorporates state-of-the-art technologies to upgrade the quality of life for an entire city.

Building 'smart cities' means creating an all-inclusive place with smart infrastructure, proper governance, digitization, and quality life for the inhabitants. However, one cannot forget the importance of the active participation of citizens as well. As the people of a country are its strongest pillars of strength, their contribution towards making the cities smarter is undeniable.

Sustainability can be gauged on the basis of some common yet crucial standards. It includes the quality of day-to-day life, greenhouse emissions, and the capacity to endure catastrophic conditions. When it comes to technology-powered smart cities, sustainability can be enhanced in a number of ways. Some of the key areas that can be upgraded with the help of modern technologies are energy, water infrastructure, waste management, transportation, and healthcare. 

The bottom line of creating a smart city is to create a city that is self-aware. This is a slow and gradual process, requiring a lot of research and development. It also demands a drastic change in citizen thinking and living standards, as well as a basic level of technological literacy for all involved. This automatically leads to improvements in quality of life, and self-awareness enhances sustainability.