Smart City Infographic
A closer look at the dramatic rise and size of global smart cities.
The dramatic shift of the world’s population into urban areas is encouraging citizens, city planners, businesses and governments to start looking at visions of ‘smart’ cities.
Below we look into what is driving the need to establish these networked environments, how smart city concepts and projects are different in the developing world, and what technologies and systems are needed to make them a reality.
Quick Facts and Stats:
- Up until 1975 there were just 3 Megacities (New York, Tokyo and Mexico City). Today there are 21.
- The top 600 urban centers generate 60% of global GDP
- By 2025, the number of megacities is expected to reach 29
- Cisco estimates that cities that run on information can improve their energy efficiency by 30% within 20 years.
- The annual Smarter cities IT market opportunity is expected to be $34 Billion.
Click here to download a .pdf version
Sources:
- The World In 2010: ICT Facts and Figures - ITU
- World Urbanization Prospects, the 2009 Revision - UN
- Effect of Mobiles on Socio-economic Life of Urban Poor - Ankur Sarin Rekha Jain
- Preparing for China's urban billion - McKinsey Global
- The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003 - UN
- The Transition to a Predominantly Urban World and its Underpinnings - David Satterthwaite
- How Mobile Devices Are Changing the World's Information Ecosystem - Center for International Media Assistance
Project Links:
Developed:
- dontflush.me
- geigermaps.jp
- streetline.com
- ibm.com/smarterplanet
- nest.com
Developing:
Looking to learn more about smart cities? A few good resources include:
- http://www.ateneonaider.com/blog/manu-fernandez/compilation-resources-smart-cities
- http://opencities.net/
- http://www.planetizen.com/
