According to data presented by the UN it is estimated that the world population will grow to approx. 9.7 billion people by 2050. We are also seeing an increasing movement towards cities and it is estimated that almost 70% of the population will be living in urban areas (Medium, 2019). The cities must, therefore, be able to host a large number of inhabitants and additional amounts of commuters. The cities need to be able to provide energy and resources to all these people, whilst also removing waste and wastewater. Traffic is another issue. Furthermore, it is anticipated that these cities, many of which will house 10 million people, will consist of mixed nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds (Medium, 2019). Administration and management are therefore also focus-areas to create peaceful, prospering cities.
Many of these problems can be tackled using AI. This blog post will present some ideas discussed by Medium (2019) that might help battle the challenges presented by the large crowds of future cities.
Smart Traffic Management: Smart traffic solutions can be used to control the traffic flow and, consequently, avoid congestion. This can consist of road-surface sensors and cameras that will collect data in real-time, and a data system that is analyzing this data and offering recommendations to commuters to limit congestion issues.
Smart Parking: Again, road sensors will collect data and further notify the users of available parking spots nearby. Imagine finding a parking spot on your app and reserving it before you leave for your destination instead of aimlessly searching around the city for a parking spot for hours – wasting time and releasing emissions for every minute.
Smart Waste Management: Waste collection and disposal is an increasingly difficult challenge for the cities. Not only are they faced with more trash, but there is also an increasing public concern about proper disposal and recycling as the majority of people get more aware of climate issues. An example of a city in the foreground of smart waste management is Barcelona, where sensors are fitted on the trash bins which notifies the collection trucks when they are being filled. AI can also be used to design smarter routes for trash collection, or even automate the process with the use of robots.
Smart Policing: This is a rather controversial topic, where cities could use data-driven strategies to predict and catch criminal actions. This has already been implemented in Singapore, where a network of cameras and sensors monitors and notifies the authorities if criminal actions are happening. This might be difficult to implement in certain cities, as many populations are more skeptical towards surveillance and has a larger focus on privacy. The idea is still interesting, though.
As most people will find themselves living in cities in the future, the authorities of the cities will be extremely important in the development of our future world. The politics in the cities might in many cases be more significant than the politics countrywide. Cities should cooperate and share their smart solutions with other cities and create a positive loop which will contribute to creating a better world for humans and the planet.
Could you think of other smart initiatives that can help cities be more sustainable and liveable?
References:
Medium. (2019). Artificial Intelligence for Smart Cities. [online] Available at: https://becominghuman.ai/artificial-intelligence-for-smart-cities-64e6774808f8 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].
