Smart cities have the potential to create major benefits for city dwellers in developing countries, but only if urban planners combine “low-tech” innovations with “high-tech” ones, continue to build large capital infrastructure, and ensure people are at the center of design, John Bachmann of multinational engineering company AECOM, told Devex.
He argued that smart cities should be seen as a tool for greater equity, and planners need to ensure that people with less access to technology are not left behind.
Making cities “smart” is a key trend on the development scene, especially following last October’s United Nation’s Habitat III conference, which resulted in a set of global guidelines for sustainable urban development known as the New Urban Agenda. The guidelines were accepted by more than 170 countries at the summit in Quito, Ecuador.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.