Page 33 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

 Maximum efficiency: In order for ICTs to be ready to swiftly disseminate the information from
one corner of the city to another, it should operate at its peak efficiency at all points of time.
Improving quality and flexibility while minimizing capital and operational cost is crucial for both
maximizing and maintaining the role of ICTs over time.

3.2 Physical and service infrastructure elements

The following physical and service infrastructures are commonly found in the literature as key
aspects for a smart sustainable city:
 Smart energy

 Smart buildings
 Smart transportation
 Smart water

 Smart waste
 Smart physical safety and security
 Smart health care

 Smart education
These infrastructures are traditional and very physical in nature. The convergence with digital (ICT)
infrastructures leads them to become “smart”.

a. Smart energy

Rising energy prices, energy security and theft, depleting energy sources and the global warming
caused due to the impact of energy usage are only some of the main issues that drive city managers
to look into city sustainability. There is a global water deficit which is a result of the tripling of water
demand over the last half‐century. Water shortage could quickly translate into food shortages,
consequently contributing to the rising food prices. Studies suggest that between early 2007 and
2008, the prices of wheat, rice, corn and soybeans have roughly tripled around the globe. Coupled
with the more frequent occurrence of record high temperatures such as in the case of the summer
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of 2010 in Moscow, energy management needs to be fundamentally restructured . Cities are
looking to solve these problems with the development of new technologies to collect information
and control energy in order to maximize urban energy consumption levels.
Smart energy management systems use sensors, advanced meters, digital controls and analytic
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tools to automate, monitor, and control the two‐way flow of energy . These systems optimize grid
operation and usage by keeping consumers, the producers and providers up to date with the latest
technology advancements to deliver energy efficient solutions. This information can help translate
real‐time data into action.

b. Smart buildings
Buildings are an urban necessity, and healthy buildings contribute to improve the quality of life by
providing comfortable, secure places to live in, work, and play. However, buildings are also the main
contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. For example, Canadians spend about 90% of their time

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35 "World on the edge, how to prevent environmental and economic collapse", Lester R. Brown.
36 http://www.slideshare.net/IMDEAENERGIA/smart‐energy‐management‐algorithms

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 23