As they discussed issues ranging from cutting edge car automation to innovative ways of recycling construction waste, researchers at the recent UAE Research Symposium on Smart Cities had a shared message: The science is the easy part. Getting policymakers, companies and citizens on board is where the real work of building a smart city begins.
“It’s not about the technology, but rather the context,” Shereen Nassar, assistant professor of management at the Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus, told Devex. “You can implement a highly complex technology, but when you come to the culture — things might not work. It’s easy to set up technology and apply it, but [the question is] more how to manage and get people really convinced about it.”
As the sole media representative at the event, which was hosted by the British Council, Devex spoke with researchers and officials about their tips and lessons learned for bringing innovation into the living, breathing cities they support. Here are our top three takeaways.
About the author
Elizabeth Dickinson@dickinsonbeth
Elizabeth Dickinson is a former associate editor at Devex. Based in the Middle East, she has previously served as Gulf correspondent for The National, assistant managing editor at Foreign Policy, and Nigeria correspondent at The Economist. Her writing also appeared in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Politico Magazine, and Newsweek, among others.
