Smart cities have been a topic of discussion for decades. By the 2010s, the federal government was investing in an initiative to help local governments take part. Around this time, smart cities largely focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) — broadly defined as an infrastructure for interoperable information technologies — but the focus has shifted. Now, federal Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation program grants are bolstering cities’ capacity for smart city initiatives; and the term “smart cities” encompasses new technologies, data-sharing capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI).
In Long Beach, Calif., an active smart city initiative involves residents and takes into account their perspectives, according to Technology Partnerships Officer Ryan Kurtzman. Kurtzman was Long Beach’s smart cities program manager for more than four years before taking on his current role. As he explained it, the “smart city” term originated largely in the private sector, to sell products or services to cities.
But that has changed during the past five years or so, he said, with the ideas behind the term now being examined and defined in local contexts, more at the city level than in the private sector. In recent years, cities like Long Beach have had the chance to define what “smart cities” means for them, which leaders did through their Smart City Strategic Plan and community engagement.
“I would say we’ve taken a stance that’s very community-first and community-centered when it comes to smart cities,” Kurtzman said. He pointed to last year’s Long Beach Collaboratory program, which heard directly from residents about neighborhood-level problems — and yielded four smart city solutions around pedestrian safety, connectivity, park safety and safe streets. Now, he argues the next steps are to communicate the value of community engagement and user experience to technology companies working in this space.
In the southwest, Mesa, Ariz., launched its Smart City Master Plan in late 2018, which includes technologies ranging from IoT to AI.
“Since its launch, our Smart City program has come full circle back to those common-sense roots to stay focused on what serves the needs and desires of the residents, businesses and visitors to our city, and now spans beyond our borders into the greater region on topics that concern everyone such as AI governance,” Harry Meier, deputy CIO for innovation in the city, told Government Technology via email.
AI is dominating most technology conversations right now, Jake Taylor, design and technology manager for The Connective, a smart region consortium for the Greater Phoenix area,said — but smart city initiatives are still a key priority for municipalities. The Connective convenes governments to solve regional problems with technology. As Taylor explained it, the semantic meaning of the smart city definition has evolved with its application.
“The day of one-size-fits-all solutions is completely gone,” Taylor said, describing a shift from an industry-led model in which companies sell an application at mass scale to a model in which a city defines its own needs — which can vary greatly. “So, what you see now is cities having to take up the reins because there’s not an industry solution that meets their custom need.”
As such, Taylor said cities are increasingly working with smaller businesses and other subject matter experts to find a partner who will help them create a customized solution. However, he underlined that industry leaders’ expertise is still a critical piece of the process.
“’Smart cities’ is a much larger umbrella now, which is any kind of technological use within the city,” he said, citing the rising trend of smart governance: evidence-based policy.
Currently, smart cities require three components, said Gloria Gong, executive director of the Government Performance Lab at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, which provides research and technical assistance support for cities, counties and states to improve services. They must have the talent: the necessary workforce capacity and a culture of innovation. They must have data-informed decision-making; and, third, they must establish collaborative relationships.
“Technology is doing a lot of good things but getting the people in place who can use technology, as one of many tools, feels like the right first step,” she said.
Technology itself does not solve the kinds of problems cities face, Gong emphasized; and sometimes turnkey solutions can prevent cities from identifying and solving a specific issue. But by engaging agencies that may be affected by an issue and the people whom a solution may serve, technology can become more targeted and more effective.
The smart city concept, Gong noted, need not be limited to cities; the same practices can be applied to improve service delivery across other levels of government, too.
