Smart cities, utopian promises. Today, when smart cities are mentioned, prominent examples, expectations from smart cities, predictions about what kind of future these cities will have and how they will change the future bring with them utopian imaginations. So, how realistic are these promises?
It is common for cities to be designed in a way that meets the needs of their residents, ensures easy access to administrative units, and glorifies certain authorities, symbols, and values. Although it began to be accepted as a discipline since the 1800s, the history of urban planning dates back to Ancient Greece and even earlier.
While Hippodamus, who presented the idea of expanding the city of Miletus in ancient Greece within a grid plan that would center the city’s agora, or square, and implemented this idea, is considered the oldest and therefore the first city planner whose name is known, thanks to Aristotle; City plans – regardless of whether they are older, newer, complex or simple – are also found in the ruins of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt or Mesoamerica.
In an article published in Bloomberg CityLab, Amanda Erickson states that urban planning did not develop much until the early 20th century, but the first city planning conference was held in New York in 1898. He points out that the focus points of the conference, where the question of whether it is necessary to consider city planning in terms of physical design or whether it should focus on designs that will provide convenience to city residents rather than physical design, are very different.
Erickson discussed topics at the conference such as how a city water system should work, how to remove garbage from the city, how sewer systems should be designed, how city planners can take steps against diseases, and especially how to clean up the mess left all over the city by the horses used by New Yorkers to meet their transportation needs. He reports that it was discussed.
City plans are also changing
From those years until today, cities have changed in line with the increasing population, developing technology, changing production models and diversifying needs, and some of them were heavily damaged or even destroyed in the First and Second World Wars and were subjected to renovation works at different scales. These studies, which allowed for strict rules and planned expansion in some cities, were not implemented in some cities after a short time. In those days, the approach prioritized the recovery of cities as soon as possible.
Today, the situation is quite different. Because with the developing technology, people’s communication with each other, with devices, and their interaction with space has changed considerably. Different types of devices have gained structures that can communicate with each other and realize various functions in line with this communication. Now, what is being talked about is smart cities, not a better life or city structures that only meet needs. The European Commission defines smart cities as “cities where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with digital solutions and used for the benefit of residents and businesses.”
Nowadays, when the effects of the climate crisis begin to be felt and countries set carbon emission reduction and neutralization targets within the scope of the Paris Agreement, sustainability also stands out as an important part of these projects.
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