Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Smart Sustainable Cities: Definition and Challenges

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
ICT Innovations for Sustainability

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 310))

Abstract

In this chapter, we investigate the concept of Smart Sustainable Cities. We begin with five major developments of the last decades and show how they can be said to build a basis for the Smart Sustainable Cities concept. We argue that for the concept to have any useful meaning, it needs to be more strictly defined than it has previously been. We suggest such a definition and bring up some of the concept’s more crucial challenges.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Top–down here refers to the conceptual and cognitive process of developing the definition and should not be confused with the extent of participation in the process.

  2. 2.

    A search for “smart cit*” in Title, Abstract or Keywords in SCOPUS gave 683 hits. A search for “smart cit*” AND “sustainable*” gave 100 hits, and a search on “smart cit*” AND “green*” gave 33 hits, 12 of which also appeared in the search on “sustainab*”. A search on “smart sustainab* cit*” gave 1 hit only. Searches made in February 2014.

  3. 3.

    ITU is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

  4. 4.

    “A smart sustainable city uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide enhanced quality of life to its citizens, improved efficiency of services and sustainable development. Such a city meets the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects” [22].

References

  1. World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Climate Change 2013. The Physical Science Basis Working Group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press (2013). http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/report/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf

  3. Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, F.S., III, Lambin, E., Lenton, T.M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H., Nykvist, B., De Wit, C.A., Hughes, T., van der Leeuw, S., Rodhe, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P.K., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., Falkenmark, M., Karlberg, L., Corell, R.W., Fabry, V.J., Hansen, J., Walker, B., Liverman, D., Richardson, K., Crutzen, P., Foley, J.: Planetary boundaries—exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecol. Soc. 14(2), 32 (2009). http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art32/

  4. Townsend, A.: Smart cities—big data, civic hackers and the quest for a New Utopia. Norton & Company, New York (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  5. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division: World Urbanization Prospects, the 2011 Revision: Highlights. United Nations, New York (2012). http://esa.un.org/unup/Documentation/highlights.htm

  6. Perlman, J.E., O’Meara Sheehan, M.: Fighting poverty and environmental injustice in cities. In: Worldwatch Institute: State of the World—Our Urban Future. W.W. Norton & Company, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hult, A.: Swedish production of sustainable urban imaginaries in China. J. Urban Technol. 20(1), 77–94 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. SymbioCity. http://www.symbiocity.org (2014)

  9. Coroama, V.C., Moberg, Å., Hilty, L.M.: Dematerialization through electronic media? In: Hilty, L.M., Aebischer, B. (eds.) ICT Innovations for Sustainability. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol. 310, pp. 405–421. Springer, Switzerland (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  10. International Air Transport Association (IATA): Factsheet Industry Statistics (2014). http://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/Documents/industry-facts.pdf

  11. Neirotti, P., De Marco, A., Cagliano, A.C., Mangano, G., Scorrano, F.: Current trends in smart city initiatives–some stylised facts. Cities 38, 25–36 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gabrys, J.: Programming environments—environmentality and citizen sensing in the smart city. Environ. Plann. D: Soc. Space 32, 30–48 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Swedish Government: Svenska miljömål—för ett effektivare miljöarbete Regeringens proposition. Prop. 2009/10:155. Regeringskansliet, Stockholm (2010). Short summary in English at http://www.miljomal.se/sv/Environmental-Objectives-Portal/Undre-meny/About-the-Environmental-Objectives/Generation-goal/

  14. Hollands, R.G.: Will the real smart city please stand up? City: Anal. Urban Trends, Culture, Theory, Policy, Action 12(3), 303–320 (2008)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  15. Kitchin, R.: The real-time city? Big data and smart urbanism. Geo J 79, 1–14 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Allwinkle, S., Cruickshank, P.: Creating Smarter Cities—an overview. J Urban Technol. 18(2), 1–16 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Caragliu, A., del Bo, C., Nijkamp, P.: Smart cities in Europe. In: Proceedings of Central European Conference in Regional Science, CERS, Kaschau, Slovak Republic (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Piro, G., Cianci, I., Grieco, L.A., Boggia, G., Camarda, P.: Information centric services in smart cities. J. Syst. Softw. 88, 169–188 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. European Parliament: Mapping smart cities in the EU. Policy Dep A: Economic and Scientific Policy. IP/A/ITRE/ST/2013-02 (2014). http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2014/507480/IPOL-ITRE_ET(2014)507480_EN.pdf

  20. European Commission: Digital Agenda for Europe—About Smart Cities (2013). https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/about-smart-cities

  21. British Standards Institution (BSI): Smart city framework—guide to establishing strategies for smart cities and communities. BSI Standards Publication, PAS 181 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Centre of Regional Science at Vienna University (eds.): Smart Cities—Ranking of European Medium-Sized Cities. Final Report (2007). http://www.smart-cities.eu/download/smart_cities_final_report.pdf

  23. Kramers, A., Wangel, J., Johansson, S., Höjer, M., Finnveden, G., Brandt, N.: Towards a comprehensive system of methodological considerations for cities’ climate targets. Energy Policy 62, 1276–1287 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Kramers, A., Höjer, M., Lövehagen, N., Wangel, J.: Smart sustainable cities: exploring ICT solutions for reduced energy use in cities. Environ. Model Softw. 56, 52–62 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. International Telecommunications Union (ITU): Agreed definition of a smart sustainable city. Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities, SSC-0146 version Geneva, 5–6 March 2014

    Google Scholar 

  26. European Union: Smart Cities and Communities Guidance Document—Public Procurement For Smart Cities (2013). http://eu-smartcities.eu/sites/all/files/Guideline-%20Public%20Procurement%20for%20smart%20cities.pdf

  27. Anthopolous, L.G., Vakali, A.: Urban planning and smart cities: interrelations and reciprocities. In: Álvarez, F., Cleary, F., Daras, P., Domingue, J., Galis, A. (eds.): The Future Internet, pp. 178–189. Springer, Berlin (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Batty, M., Axhausen, K.W., Giannotti, F., Pozdnoukhov, A., Bazzani, A.: Smart cities of the future. Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 21, 481–518 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Houghton, K., Miller, E., Foth, M.: Integrating ICT into the planning process: impacts, opportunities and challenges. Aust. Plann. 51, 24–33 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Lee, J.H., Hancock, M.G., Hu, M-C.: Towards an effective framework for building smart cities: lessons from Seoul and San Francisco. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2013.08.033 (in press)

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for valuable comments from Vlad Coroama, Michael Erman, Olga Kordas and Henrik Weinestedt regarding the definition of Smart Sustainable Cities. We also would like to acknowledge support from Vinnova, through their grants to the Centre for Sustainable Communications, as well as Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency for support of the Strategic Innovation Agenda for Smart Sustainable Cities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Sustainable Communications CESC, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mattias Höjer & Josefin Wangel

  2. Division of Environmental Strategies Research FMS, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mattias Höjer & Josefin Wangel

Authors
  1. Mattias Höjer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Josefin Wangel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mattias Höjer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Lorenz M. Hilty

  2. Zurich, Switzerland

    Bernard Aebischer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Höjer, M., Wangel, J. (2015). Smart Sustainable Cities: Definition and Challenges. In: Hilty, L., Aebischer, B. (eds) ICT Innovations for Sustainability. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 310. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09228-7_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09228-7_20

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09227-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09228-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation