How new technology can help shape smart cities

September 5, 2017 / Isla MacFarlane
How new technology can help shape smart cities

New technology can help city regions tackle complex economic, social and environmental challenges by enabling strategic planning to be done more easily and effectively, the RTPI says.

In a newly published paper Better Planning: Smart City-Regions, the RTPI said the recent devolution agenda offers new opportunities for combined authorities to create joined up plans for housing, infrastructure, health and the environment at the scale of city-regions.

However, this process will not be easy. “To be successful, combined authorities will need to understand complex economic, social and environmental trends, build consensus between a wide range of stakeholders, and develop long-term plans in conditions of uncertainty. New approaches are needed to support this wave of strategic planning,” the paper says.

James Harris, RTPI Policy and Networks Manger, said, “Smart-city initiatives show that big data and new technology can improve the efficiency of infrastructure networks and many aspects of city life. But the benefits can go much further.

“By applying technological innovation to strategic planning, we can help combined authorities develop plans for cities and their surrounding areas, including towns and rural areas. New types of data can help them tackle a broad range of issues such as growing regional divide, housing, health, and climate change.

“By combining the smart city agenda with the potential offered by devolution, we can start to create smart city-regions”.

The paper lists examples of new approaches to strategic planning which are already being used at the city-region scale. These include integrated infrastructure maps used in Greater London and Greater Manchester, which combine data from a range of sources to help planners better understand the impact of development. They also include 3D models which could support public engagement with planning.

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