FINAL WORD
How the region ’ s urban cities can transform into smart , sustainable cities
What smart cities have in common is the way they leverage industrial big data , AI , Internet of Things and the cloud to solve urban challenges and help accelerate sustainable , liveable cities . These technologies are being combined into a class of software referred to as Industrial Intelligence as a Service , explains Lisa Wee at AVEVA .
Civic planners find themselves on the frontline of the climate crisis and social evolution . It is a dynamic environment and increasingly , urban authorities are turning to digital insights to help manage complex interdependencies and deliver safe , secure , improved quality of life .
There are many reasons for this increasing complexity . First , many cities face dramatic increases in population growth .
For example , London counted 7.3 million people in 2000 . By 2030 , some 9.4 million people will live in the British capital , according to the Trust for London foundation . The New York-Newark combined statistical area , often called the Tri-State area , hosts 23.5 million people , according to 2021 census data – up from 17.8 million two decades ago .
Shanghai , in China , has likewise seen its population expand from 13.4 million in 2020 to 27.8 million today , rising to a projected 34.3 million in 2035 . And the UN predicts that 40 % of the world ’ s most populous country , India , will reside in urban areas by 2035 . That is estimated to be more than 607 million people .
These numbers mirror a global trend . By 2050 , an additional 2.5 billion people are expected to reside in urban areas , the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates . In other words , nearly 70 % of the world ’ s population will live in cities within just 30 years .
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