Does Smart cities affect city architecture and urban design?

This article discusses, though in short paragraphs, how the new debate on the necessity and need for smart cities influence the way architecture and urban design are practiced, and the difference in the outcomes of the conventional approach to city design.

Background

The energy crisis and environmental pollution concerns in the 1960s and 1970s led to the concept of green building systems. The green building movement in the US came into reality because of many goals and desires for more energy-efficient and environment-friendly construction practices. Green building brings together a vast array of practices, techniques, and skills to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. Green building systems became a must application of various rules and regulations in many developed countries in the world and countries who are simulating them to use natural power like sun, air, light in reducing the building electricity consumption and making the building environment more healthy. The application of the system in designing the buildings and construction is to make sure the efficient use of materials and resources and to make the urban space design less damaging to the environment. Buildings in the application of the rules and regulations are supplied with many digital devices such as occupancy sensors, thermal air sensors, digital fire alarm control boards, eco-friendly elevators, and so on. after a long time of applying these rules and regulations organizations realized that still, this system is not reducing the environmental damage, and construction cost is relatively similar to the conventional system.

The public and other agencies were concerned about human impacts on the environment. The most important environmental issues since about the year 2000 have been climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution, and land degradation (such as deforestation and general degradation of ecosystems). The problem became bigger and larger than the application of rules and regulations to building design and construction. Sustainability became the main concern of most world organizations and government and private sector due to its positive impact on the three pillars of its structure ( social, economic, and environment). Here sustainability deals with the larger scale developments like the urban design of towns, urban regeneration, and city design. It deals with social problems such as human well-being and living comfort. The efficient and economic use of materials and natural resources in development projects. Reducing the environmental damage when developing and protecting nature and wildlife.  Sustainability comes with a set of rules and regulations for proper mobility, eco-friendly development, and protecting nature. Here we are protecting our earth and humans from improper human use of natural resources.

The introduction of a green building system and sustainability has impacted architecture and urban design positively and improved the way architects and urban designers work.

What are smart cities? What is their influence on city architecture and urban design?

A smart city is defined in different ways. Smart cities put data and digital technology to work to make better decisions and improve the quality of life. More comprehensive, real-time data gives agencies the ability to watch events as they unfold, understand how demand patterns are changing, and respond with faster and lower-cost solutions. Another definition is a smart city is a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital solutions for the benefit of its inhabitants and business. The smart city council defines a smart city as a city that includes three core values livability, walkability, and sustainability.

The concept of the smart city is centered around the open system interconnection model by connecting city public sector infrastructure and a city application system. The idea is already in use as all census systems are connected and are open to the public sector for use. Data is collected from inhabitants by sending collection data application forms that demand the user to enter online to fill the data. Data like family member’s age, gender, employment, wages, workplace, and other information. A similar procedure is done with the health system. The city transport system has already established various online platforms providing data about train movements and future schedules and ticketing systems. That is similar to most taxi companies having their apps for inhabitants to use. The education system is also connected with its interface and students have access to their study modules and timing also assignment marking comes through Turnit in the online application.

The smart city concept came not to connect humans, the public sector, and data, as it is apparent in most information, circled online. The public sector needed more control over the data of provided services in the city including transport system, sewage plants, recycling plants, water treatment, and environmental data like pollution levels in the air, water, and earth. Adding to that public places use open parks, events locations, and shopping data. That all to serve urban planning public sector officials to collect more accurate data since it is coming through their internet connection and infrastructure to make a better and more efficient decision about allocating the proper resources for development.

Clients, architectural firms, and even authorities responsible for approving a building permit will conduct the same communication, design and construction procedure, and approval process within the smart cities concept and city. The number of people entering a public park will not affect the way the architect deals with the building design. The increase in public transport use or congestion will not affect the building’s orientation or layout. An increase in recycling or the amount of waste in treatment plants will not affect the building services design but rather the tie point connection. Innovation in architectural design will not be affected by the devices installed in the building that control light, electrical consumption, and pollution in internal spaces.

Urban design for urban development projects within the smart city also is not different than the conventional city. The urban design of a city includes the involvement of many disciplines and is a complex activity ( refer to my article series of the city in layers for more details). Transport systems and road network development are handled by agencies that collect data themselves from smaller companies to assess the development needs. Transit node locations are planned for the future depending on these data. Urban designers can access these data when development for an area is approved to consider the recommendations and the requirements of roads network and transit within the new development. Green space network is one of the important aspects in consideration in the new development, for that any previous data about the existing green space size, usage will not affect the urban design. Infrastructure requirements within the new development will be integrated into the existing infrastructure network and any new addition will be accommodated. The urban development design will consider all principles of urban design and sustainability to protect humans and the environment from damage and provide a healthy and pleasant environment for work and living. Smart cities concepts and ideas will not affect the way the urban development plan is built or the way the development is designed and implemented.

Finally, the smart cities idea and concept is invented to increase the efficiency of public sector planner’s performance and to provide the system that makes them make a better decisions.