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Figure 1: Singapore: smart city project does not
depend on a national government that divides
the budget
Figure 2: Port of Rotterdem: Hardly any human
work involved
Figure 3: Really Smart City: Data from all the sensors are consolidated
on a platform that lets you see at a glance what is happening
Much more than sensors
"That's only true if the data from
all the sensors are consolidated
on a mutual platform that lets you
see at a glance what is happening
in the city and only on this basis
decisions can be made," and Stokoe
continues “Currently, we have
isolated pieces of smart activities
so-to-say and so it will remain for at
least for the next 10 to 15 years. It
takes a lot of time and money to lay
the foundation and you must have
a good plan. It makes no sense to
connect indiscriminately sensors via
a platform without knowing exactly
what you want to do with that data."
According to Stokoe an ideal
smart city fulfill a number of basic
conditions. "It must have a clear
city boundaries. Where does the
city cease? Are suburbs counting
too? Secondly, there are measurable
activities; otherwise you cannot
organize them smarter. A third
condition is structural funding
by both the government and the
private sector. A smart city is a
long-term project, but cities do not
usually decide how much budget is
there. And industries only invest in
profitable projects."
Singapore as a blueprint
Actually, there is only one city
that fits in this picture perfect:
Singapore. "The borders are clear,
because the city is bordered by the
sea," said Stokoe. "Singapore has
collected 15 years all sorts of data.
And sufficient budget is available.
Namely Singapore is a city state. So
if the government of Singapore sets
itself the goal to be a smart city in
ten years from now, that is actually
feasible. To finance the smart city,
the city does not depend on a
national government that divides
the budget."
Most European cities do not meet
these conditions. It also does not
help that they exist for centuries.
There are historical buildings and
the infrastructure is sometimes
outdated. The city is only equipped
with a modern layer and in the
periphery are industrial estates
and shopping malls. These features
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