Smart cities are a hot topic; how smart cities will improve urban life by tackling urban challenges with the help of the Internet of Things and other technologies. Due to urbanization, cities are getting less safe, energy-efficient and clean. The UN estimates that by 2050 66% of the population will live in cities (Thales Group, 2020). Therefore, it is crucial for cities to enhance city life by making them ‘smart’. As the second largest city of the Netherlands, Rotterdam should follow this trend.
Rotterdam has already started with the implementation of a smart city design with the introduction of the Rotterdam Innovation District initiative. This initiative focusses on the improvement of seven bustling areas in Rotterdam by creating a smart infrastructure with renewable energy and green spaces (Appleton, 2020). For example, rain sensors have been installed in Rotterdam which prioritizes cycling traffic over other vehicle traffic when its raining (Schiller, 2016).
Rotterdam plans to invest €233 million in the smart city development of Rotterdam. As a smart city, Rotterdam can optimize its transportation system by tracking traffic congestion real-time. Next to that, the energy distribution can be advanced. City lights that adapt their light intensity to movement, for instance, can be installed. Smart cities can increase efficient trash collection as well with the use sensors in trash containers. This and many other examples are opportunities for Rotterdam as a smart city (Lake, 2019).
Unfortunately, the smart city development of Rotterdam goes hand in hand with severe risks. Perhaps the most significant one concerns privacy. As enormous amounts of data are collected with smart cities, citizens are concerned that this will cost them their privacy; data will be collected from mobile devices, sensors, cameras et cetera. The risks in securing smart cities comes alongside this. The entire infrastructure will have the ability to be hacked or experience system failure. Therefore, cybersecurity will be an essential challenge Rotterdam will have to take into account. However, at the same time smart cities also increase public safety, as crimes and offenses can be predicted (Lake, 2019).
With the Rotterdam Innovation District initiative Rotterdam has taken the first step in becoming a smart city. As a smart city, Rotterdam can optimize its infrastructure, mobility, public services and city life (Thales Group, 2020). As a strong, vibrant and always developing city, Rotterdam will undergo smart city development.
References
Appleton, J. (2020). Smart city Rotterdam: A leading light in smart innovation. [online] Available at: https://hub.beesmart.city/city-portraits/smart-city-rotterdam-a-leading-light-in-smart-innovation
Lake, J. (2019). Smart cities, cybersecurity and privacy: What are the risks? [online] Available at: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/smart-cities-privacy-risks/#:~:text=Major%20areas%20of%20concern%20include,grinding%20cities%20to%20a%20halt
Schilller, B. (2016). When it rains, Rotterdam’s bikers get to go through lights faster. [online] Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/3055334/when-it-rains-rotterdams-bikers-get-to-go-through-lights-faster at 28-09-2020
Thales Group (2020). Secure, sustainable smart cities and the IoT. [online] Available at: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/iot/inspired/smart-cities
Hi Julia, thank you for writing this interesting post about your vision on Rotterdam as smart city. As a citizen of Rotterdam myself, I really enjoyed reading your post as the subject hits home. However, it also raised some questions. For instance, do citizens only perceive their privacy at risk? Or is there a grounded reason to fear this new technology? Additionally, I would like to recommend you an article that discusses cases of failed smart cities, as I think we can learn a lot from their mistakes (https://www.smartcitylab.com/blog/urban-environment/smart-cities-that-failed-along-the-way/). Thank you again for exploring this topic.