The urbanization of the planet increases every year: the UN expects that in 2050 almost 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, out of an estimated total of 9,000 million people. In this potential scenario, developing smart urban solutions has become a priority. A Smart City is an intelligent city: it is about densely populated spaces that are managed with innovative technologies and the internet to improve the quality of life and make the urban system more efficient and sustainable. In recent decades, networks of smart cities have been created all over the world, such as the Spanish RECI: discover its proposals here (especially those of the group Working Group 2- Green City: Sustainability and Infrastructure) and its congress here. Search on this map if you live in one of the Spanish cities associated with this network of smart cities. (Do your students know that “city” is synonymous with “city”?).
And to evaluate and learn about progress, an international summit on smart cities and urban solutions is held every year, the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), in Barcelona, which has come to include more than 700 participating cities and large technology companies such as exhibitors. It is convened to discuss the main challenges of the world’s cities and how to achieve the greatest number of sustainable cities adapted to people and current societies, on how to achieve greener cities that respect the environment and people thanks to technology ( big data, digital twin/digital twin, artificial intelligence/AI, innovative materials- frontier/deep tech, blockchain, autonomous cars, shared mobility -sharing-, teleworking, circular economy/reuse…).
We suggest you work with these resources on our website to make children and young people aware of the importance of improving the quality of life in cities:
- Committee on the Crisis and Impact of Mobility in the CC (ESO)
- My eco-neighborhood and Life by bicycle (Infant and Primary)
