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HOW TO BUILD SMART AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES
Fernando Alcoforado*
This article aims to present how to build smart and sustainable cities to provide their
rational management, improve the quality of life for the entire population, the sustainable
development of the city and the democratization of government decisions with the
participation of the entire population. Every city achieves the status of a smart city when
its managers consider it as a system and make use of information technology in its
planning and control process, counting on the effective support of its population. Every
smart city requires the use of information technology with the use of various devices
connected to the IoT (Internet of Things) network to manage the city's operations and
services rationally and connect with its citizens [1].
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a technological revolution that aims to connect
everyday items to the world wide web and its use in the administration of a city is one of
the main global trends in solutions that range from monitoring public lighting, to
pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles, public transport, education and health services,
among others. The applications of the Internet of Things are almost endless. In addition,
IoT will lead to a reduction in wasted public resources in cities. Driven by the rise of
Internet 5G, IoT devices can bring benefits to individuals, businesses and the public
sector. But it is noteworthy that, to be considered an IoT solution, a city's administration
system needs to have three characteristics: 1) receive digital data originating from
sensors; 2) connect to an external network; and 3) process information automatically, that
is, without human intervention [5].
A new revolution in the means of communication is about to take place with the use of
the 5G Internet around the world, representing the greatest advance in communications
so far after a long historical process of technological evolution [4]. 5G Internet will have
huge impacts on the economy and society. It is an absolutely innovative communications
platform with features that allow machine-to-machine (M2M) communication with great
efficiency, effectiveness, reliability and security. In this sense, it is developed for the
internet of things (IoT), that is, for personal applications, but it also serves as a
communications platform for the development of new and revolutionary applications for
industry, cities, agriculture, transport and the services. The 5G Internet will be a great
driver for the development of Industry 4.0 and the advent of smart cities because it tends
to accelerate the development of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT),
artificial intelligence and machine learning whose potential will not only consist in
improving connectivity for people, but allow communication between objects, which can
decisively transform urban services and spaces.
Information technology allows city managers to interact directly with their executing
agencies and the population and monitor what is happening in the city and how the city
is evolving in real time. Information technology must be used to improve the quality,
performance and interactivity of urban services, reduce costs and consumption of
resources, and increase contact between citizens and government. A smart city can be
better prepared to respond to the challenges faced by its managers and its population.
Every city will reach the status of a smart city when the city's humanization goals are
achieved, with the improvement of the quality of life for the entire population, the city's
sustainable development and the democratization of government decisions with the
participation of the entire population.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/howtobuildsmartandsustainablecities-211105143503/75/HOW-TO-BUILD-SMART-AND-SUSTAINABLE-CITIES-1-2048.jpg)
![2
Improving the quality of life of the population depends on the conditions of their existence
in terms of employment, housing, basic sanitation, urban infrastructure, urban mobility
and access to education, culture, health and leisure services. The sustainable development
of a city will only be achieved when the degradation of natural resources is avoided and
there are clear and comprehensive policies for sanitation, garbage collection and
treatment, water management, with collection, treatment, economy and reuse, transport
systems that favor quality and safe mass transport, actions that preserve and expand green
areas, the use of clean and renewable energies and, above all, transparent public
administration shared with organized civil society. In turn, the democratization of
government decisions with the participation of the entire population will only exist when
it becomes involved not only in providing data, but also in deciding on the direction of
the city.
Among the smart cities of the world are: 1) Amsterdam, which has, since 2009, an
interconnected platform through wireless devices to enhance the city's decision-making
skills in real time, reduce traffic, save energy and improve public safety; 2) Copenhagen,
which, in 2014, won the prestigious World Smart Cities Award for its smart city
development strategy aimed at improving air quality, livability and traffic flow; 3) Dubai,
which has a project to make it a smart city in 2030, with transport initiatives that include
driverless vehicles, digitization of government, business and customer transactions; and,
4) Stockholm, which aims to create a green IT framework to reduce environmental
impact, increase the energy efficiency of buildings and traffic monitoring, among other
goals [1].
It is an imperative necessity to make cities smart because the city has become the main
habitat of humanity. For the first time in human history, more than half the population
lives in cities. This number, 3.3 billion people, is expected to surpass the 5 billion mark
by 2030. At the beginning of the 20th century, the urban population did not exceed 220
million people. Access to jobs, services, public facilities and greater economic and social
well-being is its greatest attraction for all who come to it [3]. A large part of the global
environmental problems originates in cities, which makes it difficult to achieve
sustainability at a global level without making them smart.
The urbanization process took place significantly initially in countries on the European
continent, with the emergence and development of industries during the 18th century.
From 1950 onwards, this process took on large proportions on a global scale. The
industrialization process has expanded across several countries, attracting more and more
people to cities. However, urbanization without proper planning results in several
environmental and social problems. Most cities around the world grow in a disorderly
and chaotic way. The swelling of cities, caused by the accumulation of people, and the
lack of an adequate infrastructure create disturbances for the urban population,
compromising their quality of life. The uncontrolled growth of cities around the world
often highlights the lack of urban planning, generating irreversible impacts on these
territories, reflected in their environmental quality.
Significant impacts on the environment occur due to the modes of production and
consumption in urbanized spaces. Pollution, traffic jams, violence, unemployment, etc.
are common in cities. Water pollution is mainly caused by the release of untreated
industrial and domestic effluents. Air pollution is a major problem detected in cities that
results from the release of toxic gases into the atmosphere. The intense flow of cars and
industries is the main responsible for this type of pollution. Other environmental problems
resulting from urbanization are soil waterproofing, visual pollution, noise pollution,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/howtobuildsmartandsustainablecities-211105143503/75/HOW-TO-BUILD-SMART-AND-SUSTAINABLE-CITIES-2-2048.jpg)
![3
climate change, acid rain, lack of environmental sanitation, lack of proper disposal and
treatment of solid waste, greenhouse effect, among others. The lack of effective urban
planning compromises the quality of life of the urban population. The disorderly growth
of cities generates the occupation of places that are unsuitable for housing by low-income
populations, such as those with high slopes, valley bottoms, among others.
The accelerated urbanization and growth of cities, especially from the mid-twentieth
century, promoted physiognomic changes on the planet, more than any other human
activity. It is in cities that the social, economic and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development converge more intensely, making it necessary to structure smart
cities that are designed, managed and planned according to the sustainable development
model that aims to meet current needs of the Earth's population without compromising its
natural resources, bequeathing them to future generations. It means to say that the smart
and sustainable development model in cities must be adopted aiming at the compatibility
of economic and social factors with the environment.
In the contemporary era, when the problems of global warming can lead to catastrophic
climate change on a planetary scale, every city needs to have a plan to adapt to climate
change, especially those subject to extreme events. Coastal cities, for example, must plan
against predictable sea level rise and be concerned about landslides on hillsides, floods,
etc., resulting from inclement rains. In short, they must have flexibility and adaptability
to new climate requirements. It is necessary to redesign the urban growth of cities to
integrate it with the natural environment and rehabilitate their beaches and rivers now
compromised by the discharge of sewage, so that cities do not receive a hostile response
from the natural environment.
To cope with extreme weather events in cities, flood control is needed. Flood control
refers to all methods used to reduce or prevent the harmful effects of the action of water.
The occurrence of floods in cities has been recurrent. Water-related disasters account for
90% of all disasters in number of people affected worldwide [2]. Corrective and
preventive measures to minimize the damage caused by floods are classified, according
to their nature, into structural and non-structural measures. Structural measures
correspond to engineering works that can be implemented with a view to correcting and/or
preventing problems arising from flooding. Non-structural measures are those that seek
to prevent and/or reduce the damage and consequences of floods, not through engineering
work, but through the introduction of standards, regulations and programs that aim, for
example, to discipline the use and occupation of land, implement warning systems and
raise awareness among the population.
After all, what characterizes a smart and sustainable city? It is for the city to be managed
rationally with the support of the population with the use of information technology,
which ensures the population's right to urban land, housing, environmental sanitation,
urban infrastructure, transport and public services, work and leisure, for current and future
generations and that ensures the population's right to decide on the fate of their city.
Transforming a city into a smart city means using information technology to facilitate
city management with the collaboration of the population and count on their participation
in decision-making. The future of cities and their populations depends, therefore, on what
is done in the sense of adopting a new management model with the use of information
technology, promoting the improvement of the quality of life for the entire population,
promoting the sustainable development of the city and promote the democratization of
government decisions with the participation of the entire population.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/howtobuildsmartandsustainablecities-211105143503/75/HOW-TO-BUILD-SMART-AND-SUSTAINABLE-CITIES-3-2048.jpg)
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HOW TO BUILD SMART AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES
- 1. 1 HOW TO BUILDSMART AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES Fernando Alcoforado* This article aims to present how to build smart and sustainable cities to provide their rational management, improve the quality of life for the entire population, the sustainable development of the city and the democratization of government decisions with the participation of the entire population. Every city achieves the status of a smart city when its managers consider it as a system and make use of information technology in its planning and control process, counting on the effective support of its population. Every smart city requires the use of information technology with the use of various devices connected to the IoT (Internet of Things) network to manage the city's operations and services rationally and connect with its citizens [1]. The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a technological revolution that aims to connect everyday items to the world wide web and its use in the administration of a city is one of the main global trends in solutions that range from monitoring public lighting, to pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles, public transport, education and health services, among others. The applications of the Internet of Things are almost endless. In addition, IoT will lead to a reduction in wasted public resources in cities. Driven by the rise of Internet 5G, IoT devices can bring benefits to individuals, businesses and the public sector. But it is noteworthy that, to be considered an IoT solution, a city's administration system needs to have three characteristics: 1) receive digital data originating from sensors; 2) connect to an external network; and 3) process information automatically, that is, without human intervention [5]. A new revolution in the means of communication is about to take place with the use of the 5G Internet around the world, representing the greatest advance in communications so far after a long historical process of technological evolution [4]. 5G Internet will have huge impacts on the economy and society. It is an absolutely innovative communications platform with features that allow machine-to-machine (M2M) communication with great efficiency, effectiveness, reliability and security. In this sense, it is developed for the internet of things (IoT), that is, for personal applications, but it also serves as a communications platform for the development of new and revolutionary applications for industry, cities, agriculture, transport and the services. The 5G Internet will be a great driver for the development of Industry 4.0 and the advent of smart cities because it tends to accelerate the development of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning whose potential will not only consist in improving connectivity for people, but allow communication between objects, which can decisively transform urban services and spaces. Information technology allows city managers to interact directly with their executing agencies and the population and monitor what is happening in the city and how the city is evolving in real time. Information technology must be used to improve the quality, performance and interactivity of urban services, reduce costs and consumption of resources, and increase contact between citizens and government. A smart city can be better prepared to respond to the challenges faced by its managers and its population. Every city will reach the status of a smart city when the city's humanization goals are achieved, with the improvement of the quality of life for the entire population, the city's sustainable development and the democratization of government decisions with the participation of the entire population.
- 2. 2 Improving the qualityof life of the population depends on the conditions of their existence in terms of employment, housing, basic sanitation, urban infrastructure, urban mobility and access to education, culture, health and leisure services. The sustainable development of a city will only be achieved when the degradation of natural resources is avoided and there are clear and comprehensive policies for sanitation, garbage collection and treatment, water management, with collection, treatment, economy and reuse, transport systems that favor quality and safe mass transport, actions that preserve and expand green areas, the use of clean and renewable energies and, above all, transparent public administration shared with organized civil society. In turn, the democratization of government decisions with the participation of the entire population will only exist when it becomes involved not only in providing data, but also in deciding on the direction of the city. Among the smart cities of the world are: 1) Amsterdam, which has, since 2009, an interconnected platform through wireless devices to enhance the city's decision-making skills in real time, reduce traffic, save energy and improve public safety; 2) Copenhagen, which, in 2014, won the prestigious World Smart Cities Award for its smart city development strategy aimed at improving air quality, livability and traffic flow; 3) Dubai, which has a project to make it a smart city in 2030, with transport initiatives that include driverless vehicles, digitization of government, business and customer transactions; and, 4) Stockholm, which aims to create a green IT framework to reduce environmental impact, increase the energy efficiency of buildings and traffic monitoring, among other goals [1]. It is an imperative necessity to make cities smart because the city has become the main habitat of humanity. For the first time in human history, more than half the population lives in cities. This number, 3.3 billion people, is expected to surpass the 5 billion mark by 2030. At the beginning of the 20th century, the urban population did not exceed 220 million people. Access to jobs, services, public facilities and greater economic and social well-being is its greatest attraction for all who come to it [3]. A large part of the global environmental problems originates in cities, which makes it difficult to achieve sustainability at a global level without making them smart. The urbanization process took place significantly initially in countries on the European continent, with the emergence and development of industries during the 18th century. From 1950 onwards, this process took on large proportions on a global scale. The industrialization process has expanded across several countries, attracting more and more people to cities. However, urbanization without proper planning results in several environmental and social problems. Most cities around the world grow in a disorderly and chaotic way. The swelling of cities, caused by the accumulation of people, and the lack of an adequate infrastructure create disturbances for the urban population, compromising their quality of life. The uncontrolled growth of cities around the world often highlights the lack of urban planning, generating irreversible impacts on these territories, reflected in their environmental quality. Significant impacts on the environment occur due to the modes of production and consumption in urbanized spaces. Pollution, traffic jams, violence, unemployment, etc. are common in cities. Water pollution is mainly caused by the release of untreated industrial and domestic effluents. Air pollution is a major problem detected in cities that results from the release of toxic gases into the atmosphere. The intense flow of cars and industries is the main responsible for this type of pollution. Other environmental problems resulting from urbanization are soil waterproofing, visual pollution, noise pollution,
- 3. 3 climate change, acidrain, lack of environmental sanitation, lack of proper disposal and treatment of solid waste, greenhouse effect, among others. The lack of effective urban planning compromises the quality of life of the urban population. The disorderly growth of cities generates the occupation of places that are unsuitable for housing by low-income populations, such as those with high slopes, valley bottoms, among others. The accelerated urbanization and growth of cities, especially from the mid-twentieth century, promoted physiognomic changes on the planet, more than any other human activity. It is in cities that the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development converge more intensely, making it necessary to structure smart cities that are designed, managed and planned according to the sustainable development model that aims to meet current needs of the Earth's population without compromising its natural resources, bequeathing them to future generations. It means to say that the smart and sustainable development model in cities must be adopted aiming at the compatibility of economic and social factors with the environment. In the contemporary era, when the problems of global warming can lead to catastrophic climate change on a planetary scale, every city needs to have a plan to adapt to climate change, especially those subject to extreme events. Coastal cities, for example, must plan against predictable sea level rise and be concerned about landslides on hillsides, floods, etc., resulting from inclement rains. In short, they must have flexibility and adaptability to new climate requirements. It is necessary to redesign the urban growth of cities to integrate it with the natural environment and rehabilitate their beaches and rivers now compromised by the discharge of sewage, so that cities do not receive a hostile response from the natural environment. To cope with extreme weather events in cities, flood control is needed. Flood control refers to all methods used to reduce or prevent the harmful effects of the action of water. The occurrence of floods in cities has been recurrent. Water-related disasters account for 90% of all disasters in number of people affected worldwide [2]. Corrective and preventive measures to minimize the damage caused by floods are classified, according to their nature, into structural and non-structural measures. Structural measures correspond to engineering works that can be implemented with a view to correcting and/or preventing problems arising from flooding. Non-structural measures are those that seek to prevent and/or reduce the damage and consequences of floods, not through engineering work, but through the introduction of standards, regulations and programs that aim, for example, to discipline the use and occupation of land, implement warning systems and raise awareness among the population. After all, what characterizes a smart and sustainable city? It is for the city to be managed rationally with the support of the population with the use of information technology, which ensures the population's right to urban land, housing, environmental sanitation, urban infrastructure, transport and public services, work and leisure, for current and future generations and that ensures the population's right to decide on the fate of their city. Transforming a city into a smart city means using information technology to facilitate city management with the collaboration of the population and count on their participation in decision-making. The future of cities and their populations depends, therefore, on what is done in the sense of adopting a new management model with the use of information technology, promoting the improvement of the quality of life for the entire population, promoting the sustainable development of the city and promote the democratization of government decisions with the participation of the entire population.
- 4. 4 REFERENCES 1. WIKIPEDIA. Cidadeinteligente. Disponível no website <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cidade_inteligente>. 2. RUSSI, A. Catástrofes relacionadas à água causaram perdas mundiais de US$ 306 bi em 2017. Disponível no website <https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/forummundialdaagua/2018/03/20/in terna_forum_mundial_agua,667251/catastrofes-relacionados-a-agua-causaram-perdas- de-us-306-bilhoes.shtml>, 2018. 3. BEAUJEU-GARNIER, J. Geografia Urbana. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1980. 4. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. Communications revolutions from writing in prehistory to the 5G internet in the contemporary era. Available on the website < https://www.academia.edu/59299582/COMMUNICATIONS_REVOLUTIONS_FROM _WRITING_IN_PREHISTORY_TO_THE_5G_INTERNET_IN_THE_CONTEMPOR ARY_ERA>. 5. TECHTUDO. ‘Internet das Coisas’: entenda o conceito e o que muda com a tecnologia. Available on the website <https://www.techtudo.com.br/noticias/2014/08/internet-das-coisas-entenda-o-conceito- e-o-que-muda-com-tecnologia.ghtml>, 2014. * Fernando Alcoforado, 81, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, engineer and doctor in Territorial Planning and Regional Development by the University of Barcelona, university professor and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, regional planning and planning of energy systems, is author of the books Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova (Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado. Universidade de Barcelona,http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development- The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe Planetária (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011), Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012), Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2015), As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2016), A Invenção de um novo Brasil (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2017), Esquerda x Direita e a sua convergência (Associação Baiana de Imprensa, Salvador, 2018), Como inventar o futuro para mudar o mundo (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2019) and A humanidade ameaçada e as estratégias para sua sobrevivência (Editora Dialética, São Paulo, 2021) .