What exactly is a smart city? In the last decade, the traditional city has undergone a dramatic shift into becoming “smart,” like other tech sectors — mobiles, watches and TVs. But how exactly can a “smart city” be defined? What makes a city “smart”? EMV Capital’s Dr. Ilian Iliev spoke to TechX365’s Phil Oakley about how a city becomes smart and how officials can accelerate this process.
Defining a smart city is hard because there are multiple things a city council or local government can do to help make the city smarter. Introducing AI, making roads smarter, building better infrastructure to keep heat in or protect against natural disasters: All of these things can make a city smart. But the main point Dr. Iliev makes is that a true smart city focuses on the people who live there and makes improving their lives through the addition of technology the main objective.