Smart Cities & Infrastructure

Homes, transport and cities designed for people — what "smart" should really mean.

The challenge

Humanity is becoming an urban species. Most of us already live in towns and cities, and nearly all population growth from now on will be urban — much of it in Africa and Asia. Whether that future is liveable depends on decisions being made now: housing people can afford, water and sanitation that work, transport that moves people rather than traffic, and energy and digital systems that serve the public.

"Smart city" technology — sensors, data, connected services — can help. But a city is smart when a grandmother can cross it safely and affordably, not when it merely has an app.

What the evidence says

Practical solutions

• Basics before gadgets: clean water, sanitation, drainage, lighting and safe footpaths transform daily life more than any dashboard.
• Plan for density with dignity: homes near jobs and transit, mixed neighbourhoods, and land records that protect residents from arbitrary eviction.
• Move people, not just cars: reliable buses, safe walking and cycling, and transit that the whole city can afford.
• Build for the climate you now have: drainage for heavier rains, shade and ventilation for heat, and buildings that fail safely.
• Use data openly and carefully: publish service data for accountability, collect the minimum personal data, and protect it — a smart city must not become a surveillance city.
• Maintain what exists: the cheapest infrastructure is the road, pipe and wire already built, kept in repair.

Judge any "smart city" proposal in five questions

1. What problem does it solve — in the daily life of ordinary residents, stated plainly?
2. Who benefits and who pays — including after the launch headlines fade (maintenance, subscriptions, data)?
3. What data does it collect about people, who controls it, and how is it protected?
4. Does it work without a smartphone or bank account? If not, who is excluded?
5. What happens when it fails — is there a manual fallback, and a local team able to repair it?

Test yourself

Questions people ask

References

• UN DESA Population Division — Thirty Years After Cairo (2024), urbanization chapter

Facts above are labelled with their sources and dates. Where this centre offers guidance, it is educational information to help you decide — not a substitute for advice about your own situation.