How can smart cities help meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals?<\/p>\n
Although there is no globally agreed definition, organisations such as the United Nations, through UN-Habitat<\/a>, or the European Union agree that the fundamental feature of smart cities is the use of information and communication technologies <\/strong>(ICT) in the management of urban challenges <\/strong>and that their objective is to improve the lives of citizens and promote their development.<\/p>\n The International Telecommunication Union (ITU<\/a>) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)<\/a> add the concept of “sustainable<\/strong>“: A smart and sustainable city is an innovative city that uses ICT<\/strong> to improve the quality of life<\/strong>, the efficiency of urban operations and services <\/strong>and competitiveness, while ensuring that needs are met <\/strong>of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental and cultural aspects.<\/p>\n Smart cities must therefore consider the SDGs as lines of inspiration to define their policies. <\/strong> <\/p>\n Here are some initiatives that smart cities can carry out for each of the SDGs:<\/strong><\/p>\n SDG 1: No Poverty – End poverty in all its forms everywhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n As our experts said when analysing the Disruptive Cities<\/a> trend, “Perhaps the greatest of all challenges is the fight against inequality, the only option for developing a cohesive society”.<\/em> It is necessary to reflect on how new technologies <\/strong>(robots, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, etc.) are going to change the way we work<\/strong> and how to prepare citizens so that they are not left behind. <\/p>\n SDG2: Zero hunger – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.<\/strong><\/p>\n Another possible initiative is to join forces and show solidarity with eminently agricultural regions, promoting fair trade and food safety. As stated in our report Disruptive Cities, by the year 2100, 85% of the 9,000 million people who will then populate the planet will live in cities, a limiting proportion, according to the OECD: fewer inhabitants in rural areas would not be able to produce enough food for urbanites.<\/strong> <\/p>\n SDG3: Good Health and Well-being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.<\/strong><\/p>\n Health is undoubtedly one of the hot spots of adaptation to an increasingly long-lived society. “It also implies new needs in terms of transportation, promoting the socialization of the elderly and encouraging exercise to improve the physical and mental health of the population,”<\/em> says our Bruno Fern\u00e1ndez-Ruiz<\/a>, co-founder and CTO of Nexar.<\/p>\n In the following video, our expert William Haseltine gives us his vision of how to make healthcare more efficient in cities:<\/strong><\/p>\n