Smart City: Technologies and Challenges

To address the grand challenges brought about by urbanization, “smart city” has become a ubiquitous concept for sustaining urban and economic growthwhile addressing the environmental and social issues created by that growth. While numerous articles and reports have been written about smart cities, a universal definition of what constitutes a smart city has yet to emerge with widespread consensus. A common theme to most definitions is the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) as an enabler to support city development, enhance urban services, and increase stakeholder access to information. Using this theme as a defining element, smart cities are quickly emerging around the world with city-wide investments in ICT to drive technological innovation, to support the development of new industries, to spur a stronger economy, to maintain a sustainable environment, and to enhance the quality of life of citizens.