Smart megacities of the world: how cities have become a service for comfortable and safe life
According to a World Bank report, by 2050 7 of 10 people will live in megacities, and the urban population will more than double. Accelerated urbanization brings with it many challenges related to the inability to meet the increasing demand for basic urban resources in the face of population growth and environmental changes. That is why the world's major centers have adopted the concept of "smart cities" as the gold standard of sustainable urban development, combining innovation, efficient use of resources and advanced technologies.
«Wise Cities» Index
Recent decades have been characterized by a trend towards sustainable urbanization and the transformation of cities into innovative economic centers. More than a half of the world's population lives in Asia, while Europe and Africa account for no more than 30% of the world's city residents. It is the cities of Asia and Africa that are expected to show high rates of urbanization in the future, which, according to UN projections, will lead to an increase in the world's urban population to 68% by 2050. 35% of the projected growth will come from rural decline in India, China and Niger.
Today Tokyo, with a population of 38 million, is the largest city in the world. It is followed by Shanghai, Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai in the world's most populous countries of China and India, and a number of non-Asian cities including Mexico City (over 21 million people), Cairo (19.5 million) and Buenos Aires (15.5 million). Among European cities, Istanbul (about 16 million people), Moscow (13.5 million people) and Paris (12 million people) lead the way. According to experts' forecasts, by 2028 Delhi will become the most populous city in the world, overtaking Tokyo, whose population tends to decrease.
The key to successful urbanization is the level of development of cities, which is based on their ability to respond to global economic, social, demographic and climatic challenges. Every year, many foreign think tanks and research institutes try to assess the degree to which a particular city is exposed to poverty, inflation, migration, segregation, influx of refugees, pollution and many other factors. Based on these assessments, numerous rankings of the world's smart cities are compiled, with more than 140 in 2023.
Zurich, Oslo, Canberra, Copenhagen, Lausanne, London, Singapore, Helsinki, Geneva, Stockholm, Hamburg, Beijing, Abu Dhabi, Prague and Amsterdam were ranked in the top 15 Smart City Index 2023, developed by the UK-based International Institute for Management Development and the World Organization of Smart Sustainable Cities (WeGo). British think tank Z/Yen ranked global commercial centers according to their ability to create, develop and deploy technology: the top 5 were London, New York, San Francisco, Zurich and Lugano, while Moscow ranked 67th, coming in between Madrid and Mexico City. These cities are considered to have potentially high levels of investment, regulatory environment and business climate for the development and deployment of the latest technologies.
In addition to intelligence, cities are also compared by the level of innovation. The international rating Innovation Cities Global Index evaluates more than 162 indicators, including gross regional product, the number of representative offices of international companies, the level of wealth and education, the presence of industrial clusters and their own city brands. A similar study is conducted on the basis of the Institute of Statistical Research and Knowledge Economy of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The rating of innovation attractiveness of world cities for leaders of science, high-tech and creative industries is headed by London, New York and Tokyo, and Moscow takes the honorable 10th place with a high indicator in the creative industry.
However, the new reality faced by almost all countries of the world, associated with the escalation of international relations and the elevation of national security issues to the rank of priority tasks, has given rise to a new infrastructural concept that would combine the principles of a smart and safe city. Experts have already nicknamed such cities "wise cities". The functional capabilities of a safe city, such as video surveillance, analysis and storage of large amounts of data, can be used for purposes unrelated to security and contribute to digitalization in various areas. In contrast, today's rapidly developing artificial intelligence, combined with next-generation sensors and radars, is reducing the decision-making cycle and accelerating the pace of response in foreign policy matters. The experience of conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere on Earth has clearly demonstrated that new and breakthrough technologies are making warfare extremely complex and dynamic and will dominate all future battlefields. They help generate vast amounts of data, identify new threats and vulnerabilities, and artificial intelligence only extends these capabilities in terms of controlling and utilizing unmanned assets, both in the air, on land, and in water. The boundary between military and civilian equipment is blurring - more and more often ready-made non-military infrastructure is used for combat tasks and shows high results, while private companies are already capable of performing and replacing the functions of government agencies. That is why the idea of combining the infrastructure of a smart and safe city will be the next step in the development of global urbanistics, and the main focus will be on predictive services that actively use artificial intelligence and preventive analytics aimed at preventing possible vulnerabilities.
Japan's Super Cities
As the largest metropolis in the world, Tokyo is one of the safest cities in the world and is a leader in terms of innovation, technology and modern infrastructure. The Fukushima accident in 2011 was the trigger for the smart city system, which laid the foundation for the strategy - environmental initiatives - and the 2020 Olympic Games added a wide range of smart subsystems, including advanced traffic management using real-time sensors and cameras, innovative energy-efficient building codes, a low-carbon transportation system, renewable energy solutions and smart hospitality, making the city one of the most comfortable and convenient cities in the world. In May 2020, Japan enacted a "supercity" law that envisions improved private and public sector collaboration on urban transformation through artificial intelligence technologies. Supercities will test the latest urban technologies that will revolutionize the industry.
By 2050, the Tokyo government has set itself an ambitious 5-Zero plan: zero deaths due to natural disasters, zero emissions, zero power outages due to natural disasters through the use of microgrids and other infrastructure, zero plastic waste through recycling and reduced use, and zero food loss. At the same time, Japan is actively promoting its effective urban agenda at the international level, and in cooperation with the G20 and the World Bank, investment projects have been developed to create disaster-resistant urban environments. According to experts' forecasts, Japan's smart cities market will grow by 13% in the next five years, and in terms of revenue - up to $94 billion.
Abu Dhabi and Masdar City
Abu Dhabi is ranked as the 13th most advanced city in the world and leads the Middle East region, and was recognized as the safest city in the world in 2022. In addition to actual smart governance within the city: digitalization of public and medical services, irrigation systems, smart mobility with unmanned vehicles combined with a high degree of integration of the private and public sectors - the city of Masdar, located 17 km from Abu Dhabi, has attracted particular attention. It will be the world's first eco-city fully powered by solar energy and other renewable energy sources, with a sustainable ecological environment with minimal carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, and with full recycling of urban waste. The idea of creating Masdar City was initiated in 2006 by the government of Abu Dhabi, with a total budget of $22 billion, of which $15 billion is financed by the emirate authorities. Despite the fact that today the city is not yet fully populated, it is already showing positive indicators: Masdar consumes 40% less energy and water than similar cities, and the demand for electricity is compensated by a 10 MW solar power plant and 1 MW solar panels.
By 2030, Masdar City will be home to 50,000 residents and 40,000 students and researchers in the field of sustainability.
In January 2024, Abu Dhabi hosted UMEX 2024, the Middle East's largest unmanned systems and robotics exhibition, to discuss smart city infrastructure with a focus on the potential of using artificial intelligence to provide a safe environment. The importance of unmanned systems and related technologies was considered, not only in maintaining safety, but also in the development of businesses, civic initiatives and national economies. Considering the growing need to improve the flexibility and efficiency of urban ecosystems, a model for connecting smart cities to manage autonomous systems was proposed. Importantly, Abu Dhabi has long been actively promoting initiatives to use unmanned systems in everyday life: it is home to the world's first fleet of fully autonomous cabs, TXAI, and in 2022 Abu Dhabi-based manufacturer Monarch Holding and Chinese AAV technology platform company EHang Holdings signed a partnership agreement to establish in the city the region's first facility to manufacture and operate sustainable aircraft and electric-powered drones for passenger and cargo transportation.
Moscow 2030 - the smartest city of the future
In 2022, the UN recognized Moscow as the best city in the world in terms of infrastructure and quality of life, and a year before that Moscow received the international certificate of smart city ISO. Modern technologies and innovations are being actively introduced here to improve the living standards and comfort of citizens, urban infrastructure is being optimized and the environmental situation is improving, the city is one of the world leaders in the provision of state and municipal services, as well as inter-departmental interaction. Following the main trends of megacities, Moscow is creating smart transport management systems, introducing Internet of Things technologies to improve urban amenities, as well as developing the digital economy; in addition, innovative urban neighborhoods are being created that include modern IT solutions, green technologies and smart energy supply.
At the end of 2023, the total volume of the industrial market for the Internet of Things in Russia grew by 5% to 144.4 billion rubles. According to analysts' forecasts, it will amount to 188.9 billion rubles by 2026.
Moscow is currently implementing the Smart City 2030 strategy, which provides for a further plan to develop the capital as an innovative smart metropolis of the future. It is planned to create a centralized, end-to-end and transparent system of city management based on Big Data and using artificial intelligence, with the center of this system to be a person who manages it through digital government and city initiatives. The concept assumes a reasonable approach to import substitution, the use of the best domestic practices and a high level of digitalization of all spheres of life. Personalized approach to the provision of medical services, disease risk forecasting using AI, publicly accessible educational environment, modernization of the urban environment and development of "green" architecture - all these are the key indicators of the city in 2030. The trend towards autonomous unmanned transport, which includes intelligent management of the transport system - optimization of routes, control of traffic lights - unmanned transport itself and improvement of the traffic situation by reducing the number of cars and sharing transport is separately noted.
The growth of urban population and the constant race for advanced technologies in conditions of limited resources turn cities into important services of comfortable and safe life - today it is no longer enough to simply create urban infrastructure, it is necessary to give it a human-centered vector through innovative solutions and effective management. This goal is met by "smart cities" that aim for sustainable development, i.e. a balance between economic, social and environmental development, resource management and improvement of the quality of life for present and future generations. All over the world, smart cities are an integral part of the ideology of modern society. At the same time, in conditions of geopolitical instability, the governments of many countries are increasingly realizing the relationship between smart and safe cities, i.e. civil infrastructure and military developments and solutions, which with the development of artificial intelligence systems can grow into real "wise cities".
