Philips Lightning, together with SmartCitiesWorld, have produced a report that highlights the struggles faced by local authorities when implementing a smart city programme. London, Barcelona, and Singapore were named some of the worldâs best smart cities after a research involving 150 city-planning influencers.
What makes a smart city programme a success, according to the report, is the visionary leadership. Barcelona, for example, has implemented Internet of Things (IoT) systems into their programmes, creating an estimated 47,000 jobs, saving 42.5 million euros on water a year, and generating an extra 36.5 million euros through smart parking.
One in ten city authorities lack capacity to develop a smart city programme, while one in ten authority representatives said that they did not even have the capacity to look at developing one because of budget limitations, a lack of infrastructure, short term planning, and a lack of leadership on implementation.
City authorities face complex and challenging choices concerning infrastructure, balancing the need to maintain existing services while investing in improvements, managing population growth and enhancing sustainability â all within tight budget constraints, said Jacques Letzelter, Segment Manager at Philips Lighting.
Cities consume 70% of the worldâs energy and by 2025 there will be an additional 2.5 billion people that will need to use more energy. Cities need to be prepares for the demand on occupancy and the energy increases, while local authorities must look into areas such as technology, communications, data security, and energy usage to secure a bright future for everyone.
The top three cities, London, Barcelona, and Singapore, are all excelling in different areas in their smart city programmes. London was praised for its focus on communities when implementing technology, Barcelona was noted for its top government driving change, and Singapore was commented for its forward thinking infrastructure including its buildings, transportation, and use of underground space.
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