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Smart cities – innovations for the cities of tomorrow
With ‘smart city’ concepts, increasing urbanisation can be designed to protect the climate and resources
The use of modern technologies is intended to make cities more efficient, climate-friendly and better to live in. Achieving these goals requires products, services, processes and infrastructures supported by highly integrated and networked information and communication technologies.
Our IT partner Microsoft interprets the smart city with a focus on digitisation and has bundled all the relevant solutions and competences together in the global initiative ‘CityNext’. According to Microsoft, networking ‘is the key to better service, more effective processes and greater cost-efficiency in the public sector. Intensive use of ITC technologies is therefore one of the major building blocks of future-ready cities.’ Just like Microsoft, we see the smart city as an innovative service centre with modern communication structures, which is all about people and their needs. That is why every individual citizen will have the opportunity to play an active role in shaping their own urban environment. Suitable IT solutions such as the digital platform Parteezy ensure project-based, transparent participation by citizens, thus accelerating decisions and, at the same time, helping ensure they are widely accepted.
In addition to the digitisation factor, the smart city also needs innovative and sustainable solutions for energy supply and mobility. Today, 50% of people live in cities. By 2050, that figure is estimated to be as high as 70%. 75% of all energy consumption takes place in cities and 80% of the world’s CO2 emissions are produced there. This is precisely why cities play a central role in the challenges of climate and demographic change. Making sufficient resources, such as food, energy and consumer products, available at the right time is one task – connecting them within the framework of urban infrastructure is the other. A smart city is therefore much more efficient, sustainable and advanced than a traditional city.
‘Sustainable and efficient energy supply is one of the essential core components of a smart city.’
In our opinion, an interdisciplinary approach is essential on the path to a smart city or a smart district. At M&P, this relates to our expertise in the fields of engineering, energy, digitisation and consulting in equal measure: their interaction ensures holistic systemic concepts.
For example, the mobility concept has a significant impact on energy and supply infrastructure. The planned degree of individual mobility alone defines the design and dimensions of the electricity supply. A future-oriented concept anticipates the planned functional scenarios and turns them into technical solutions for supply networks, charging stations, battery storage systems, photovoltaic systems and the associated digitisation measures.
It is essential that such models for the energy infrastructure are combined with smart developments in the buildings and the district itself. An intelligently built and optimally functioning building is a prerequisite for energy consumption that is as low as possible and consistently oriented on the usage-specific minimum requirements. The result is system structures that work according to the minimalist principle: ‘As little as possible, as much as necessary’. Digital solutions for needs-based control of energy and building technology connect with users to form intelligent networks and ensure optimal comfort, the highest level of safety and minimal resource consumption.
‘Cross-sector’ design expertise is the key factor in a smart solution!
