Smart Cities through Smart Regulation [Opinion]

Reports on the control and management of smart cities, using the city of Sao Paolo, Brazil as an example. Smart Cities demand new strategies and forms of control. The traditional model of public regulation is challenged by a renewed relationship between technology, government, and society. Another social dynamic and structure reflects then into neologisms using “smart” as a prefix. We see smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people, smart living, smart governance, etc. [1]. As argues Clarke [2], the technological development raises questions about whether the existing legal mechanisms will be coherent and balanced for the present time. The public sector should be creative to address this issue, not only establishing reasonable standards for new technologies and services but also facilitating control and encouraging innovation. The object of this commentary is, therefore, to highlight the difficulties and possible solutions for regulation in the context of a smart city, provided by Sao Paulo.