Smart cities and AI: What will future cities look like?

The reality is that this transformation is already underway, and we already have the necessary tools to redefine our urban landscapes—thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence and our capability to access vast amounts of data about our surroundings and our behaviors. 

The United Nations estimates that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. This reality makes it increasingly urgent to develop smart transportation systems, optimize the management of water and gas, and create energy-efficient buildings. 

In this article, we’ll explore what defines a smart city and discuss how we can leverage new technologies to accelerate our transition to more efficient, inclusive urban environments that benefit everyone. 

What is a smart city?  

A smart city, or intelligent city, refers to an urban area that leverages advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and automation to enhance the quality of life for its residents, refine resource use, and make public services more efficient and sustainable. 

Ideally, a smart city is built on a network of connected smart infrastructures that collect, analyze, and utilize real-time data to make informed decisions and improve the overall functioning of urban environments. 

What is the main objective of a smart city?

To achieve the highest level of well-being for individuals and natural ecosystems, smart cities focus on eight main objectives: 

1. Enhancing the quality of life for citizens 
2. Making the city more sustainable by reducing environmental impact 
3. Optimizing public services using data and technology 
4. Promoting smart and sustainable mobility 
5. Encouraging social inclusion and reducing inequalities 
6. Fostering innovation and economic growth 
7. Strengthening the city’s security and resilience 
8. Engaging citizens in governance through digital tools

What should be the main sources of energy for a smart city? 

In a smart city, the main sources of energy should be renewable and clean, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. To enhance efficiency and sustainability, these sources should be paired with energy storage systems and strategies to minimize energy loss. 

What makes a city a smart city?

Technology is a crucial element of smart cities. 

To transform a city into a smart city, it is essential to implement digital infrastructures and use IoT and big data technologies. On the other hand, to achieve sustainability, it is vital to promote the use of renewable energy, boost transportation systems, and engage citizens in urban management through digital platforms, raising awareness about the importance of caring for urban areas. 

From Milan to New York: Examples of smart cities 

If we look for concrete examples of smart cities, many of the large cities we know come to mind: 

• Milan has implemented various sustainable mobility projects, including restricted traffic zones (ZTL), bike-sharing programs, and smart energy networks, all aimed at promoting sustainability and inclusivity. From 2015 to 2020, Milan ranked first in the ICity Rate, the Italian smart city ranking created by Forum PA. 

• Singapore is ranked first in the world according to the Smart City Index by IMD. The Smart Nation initiative, launched in 2014, received a government investment of $1.73 billion. It utilizes sensors to monitor air quality, autonomous transport systems, and digital platforms for urban management, with artificial intelligence at its core. 

• Amsterdam launched its smart city initiative back in 2009 and has since pursued over 170 different smart projects throughout the city. 

• Barcelona employs sensor networks for managing water, energy, and resources, actively involving citizens in governmental decision-making. 

• New York is adopting and testing hundreds of sensors and smart technologies, beginning with a pilot program initiated in 2020. 

Each of these cities is developing unique programs, but they all share two essential factors: the use of artificial intelligence and data.

A smart city is inherently a data-driven entity, where decision-making processes, services, and infrastructures rely on accurate and real-time quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Data serves as the intangible yet essential infrastructure upon which the architecture of a smart city is built. 

These data come from various sources, including sensors, cameras, environmental monitoring systems, and online data analytics. With the Internet of Things (IoT), every part of the city is interconnected, creating a network that enables real-time monitoring of the environment and infrastructure. 

However, simply collecting data is not enough; the real challenge lies in transforming this data into strategic and comprehensible information. Often, institutions and companies gather fragmented data that is difficult to interpret. This has led to a growing need to invest in solutions that can aggregate, analyze, and present data effectively.

The benefits of data-driven decision-making 

Once processed and made comprehensible, data become essential tools for optimizing decisions that benefit all segments of the population. 

For example, more efficient traffic management based on the time of day can help reduce congestion and emissions, while analyzing energy consumption can lead to waste reduction. Additionally, data can make urban spaces more inclusive, catering to the needs of vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. 

How Artificial Intelligence enhances urban data analysis

Artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in urban data analysis. With its extraordinary ability to analyze vast amounts of data in real time—regardless of format or source—it automates complex processes and identifies patterns that might otherwise escape human analysis. 

As a result, AI enables accurate predictions and optimized solutions that enhance the quality of life for citizens. 

The concept of the smart city has always been at the forefront of Almawave’s projects, which aim to redefine traditional urban environments by harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence. 

Almawave’s solutions offer numerous benefits, including the digitization and simplification of processes, increased service efficiency, resource conservation, and the adoption of decision support systems. 

Let’s explore these solutions in detail: 

AlW4SmartCity – Decision Support System (DSS)

The Decision Support System developed by Almawave is an interactive platform that assists public administrations and stakeholders in assessing the state of the city on various topics, such as safety, green space perception and coverage, tourism well-being, and air quality. 

Through synthetic indicators (smart index), cartographic representations, and machine learning models, the solution creates a digital twin of the territory, allowing for real-time monitoring and providing an overview of urban assets, as well as simulating hypothetical scenarios in the current urban context.  

This tool is highly adaptable to the needs of law enforcement, government agencies, citizens, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Smart City Index

The Smart City Index, which can also be integrated into the DSS, measures the “smartness” of cities across various aspects, such as public safety, maintenance of green spaces and tree populations, urban pollution, electric mobility, and much more. 

Each index assesses services that contribute to making the city more sustainable and innovative, including reducing traffic accidents and improving public safety. By aggregating various indicators, these indexes track the city’s evolution over time. 

For example, the Smart Green Index evaluates the maintenance status of urban tree populations, vegetation coverage, and residents’ perceptions, while the Smart Security Index uses both internal and external data along with machine learning models to measure urban safety in terms of citizen satisfaction, asset coverage (such as cameras and lighting), and incidents that may affect safety levels (like crimes and accidents). 

AIWave 

AIWave is Almawave’s Platform-as-a-Service that, through a low-code/no-code approach, simplifies the adoption of artificial intelligence in the processes of businesses and public administrations. 

The platform offers technologies and models to transform the potential of natural language into data, knowledge, actions, and interactions. Its offerings include three categories: Cognitive Services Bundles for experienced users, Models as a Service featuring pre-trained linguistic models, and configurable AI Applications that require no technical expertise.

Green Information System (SIV) 

The Green Information System (SIV) is an advanced digital solution for monitoring and managing public green spaces and the maintenance of urban tree populations, both vertical and horizontal. 

Leveraging GIS technology, the SIV provides multi-level cartographic representations, associating each tree with a Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) evaluation sheet to enable phytosanitary monitoring. It also integrates data from IoT sensors and includes Workforce Management features for operational planning and management. 

Smart Water Management System 

To streamline the management of water distribution networks, Almawave has developed the Smart Water Management System (SWMS) software. 

This solution enables real-time monitoring of distribution networks across the territory, allowing for the detection of anomalies and leaks. This functionality supports the planning of interventions to minimize malfunctions and losses. The SWMS also facilitates “what-if” simulations to anticipate various future scenarios, enhancing water management efficiency in line with smart city principles. 

POI e location data pack 

Almawave also provides institutions and businesses with data packs related to territories and points of interest (POI). These data packs consist of comprehensive datasets that offer both quantitative and qualitative information. They include not only detailed information about all physical locations (such as address, GPS coordinates, and contact details) but also additional insights, such as online sentiment expressed by the public and the popularity of each location. 

These data packs serve as the foundation for location intelligence activities, which are essential for optimizing urban planning, enhancing connectivity systems, managing traffic, delivering efficient services to citizens, increasing safety, and preventing issues related to tourist overcrowding. 

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