A Smart City, or smart city, can be described as a city that applies information and communication technologies (ICT) with the aim of providing it with an infrastructure that guarantees:
- Sustainable development.
- An increase in the quality of life of citizens.
- Increased efficiency of available resources.
- Active citizen participation.
Therefore, they are cities that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The Smart City is born out of the need to maintain harmony between these aspects.
By 2050, 85% of the world's population is expected to live in cities. This fact means that in the coming decades urban areas will have to face an increasing number of problems linked to this fact, such as:
- Energy supply.
- CO 2 emissions.
- The planning of car traffic.
- The provision of goods and raw materials.
- The provision of health and safety services to all those residing in these huge and overcrowded population centres.
The Smart City philosophy is increasingly being implemented in projects that will involve the transformation of many cities into Smart Cities.
The Smart City concept does not only focus on new urban growth projects: it also addresses the adaptation of existing cities into smart cities.
These current projects are part of the 20-20-20 treaty, with the objectives that by 2020:
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by 20%.
- Energy consumption is reduced by 20% through energy efficiency improvements.
- 20% of electricity generation is from renewable energies.
Currently, remodelling and adaptation projects to new technologies are being carried out in both large cities and small municipalities, making Smart Cities a reality.
