What Even is a Smart City?
There are nearly 8 billion people on this planet. But this was not always the case. What started out as small communities developed into civilizations. Empires rose and fell, and we began to develop large and densely-populated urban areas. Fast forward to the present, and these areas have now become our modern day cities and megalopolis’s. With these cities sprawling full of individuals, they have had to improve, adapt, and overcome based on the problems of our modern society. As a result, many cities have grown either organically to meet the needs and wants of our people. Those that have had some success in doing so could be categorized as our “smart cities”.
A smart city is a city that comprises a forward way of thinking with regards to building a better place for its inhabitants and surrounding environment. This philosophy comprises many different topics and elements such as transportation, government, economy, environment, living, entertainment, community, and technology. I believe that this makes for a good definition as it takes into account that there are many more factors that go into the equation of a smart city, and includes some of the major components.
Transportation: Smart Streets and Smart Mode Choices
Smart Streets refer to the idea that our streets are safe & efficient, and designed in mind such that all citizens can use the streets. The smartest modes of transportation work around these parameters, and when done right, can have a major positive impact on standard of living and communal sense of pride. While they can be pricey in the short term, they can often be financially profitable in the long haul, and help the citizens and the environment
This can be accomplished by having multi-modal public transportation. These smarter forms of transportation range from trains and busses all the way to biking and walking. Once again, the idea of having multiple choices refers back to the idea of serving as large a majority of the population as possible, all while creating sustainable choices for the environment and the city. Some examples of these systems include roads, bridges, tunnels, subways, seaports, and airports. Each of these systems have their positive and negative impacts from financial, public, and environmental standpoints. At the end of the day, it is up to each city and its citizens to determine how they want to approach the problem. These systems work in tandem to form a structure of multiple options with regards to public transportation.
A Tale of Three Cities
If you are a reader of literature, then you may have Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Let me tell you a Tale of Three Cities- Copenhagen, Tokyo, & London.
Copenhagen:
Objective and Overall Goal of Project:
In Copenhagen one of the main methods of transportation is bicycling. Copenhagen as well as other Danish cities offer many different networks of bike lanes for its citizens to bike on. This is in contrast to many different cities that are more societally driven by cars. Nearly nine out of 10 people in Denmark own a bike, and this culture has spilled into Copenhagen, which is considered the most bike-friendly city in the world by many. A big factor as to why biking is so accepted is because of how ingrained it is within the society. There is a culture of biking within Copenhagen that is taught to its children at a young age. Copenhagen views cycling in this way in order to foster a fast, convenient, healthy, and environmentally sustainable transportation mode. In the long term, this also increases public morale and sense of place as people get to explore the city of Copenhagen as well.
Detailed Explanation of Project:
Simply put Copenhagen is a bike city. Over the years, the city has invested much financially into infrastructure to support. In fact, bikes outnumber the amount of cars in the city, and there are hundreds of kilometers of cycle tracks laid throughout it. Nearly half of the cities work in school trips are done by bike, which shows the buy-in from the public into the investment.
Thoughts, Criticisms, and Ideas:
I believe that is effective approach to public transportation because of how it integrates the people. Encouraging people to bike not only encourages a healthy lifestyle but also allows for people to have the freedom to travel at their own pace as well as to travel where they want to. With certain modes of transportation like buses, trains, & subways, it can be difficult to pinpoint an exact destination or get from point A to point B in a direct manner. With biking, you cut the middleman out and you allow for the individual to choose their route and their destination, without any excess. Having biking as a primary mode of transportation also allows for citizens to not to have to worry about external factors such as public transportation being late or faulty. Instead, the people of Copenhagen can travel or leave their house whenever they want to use a reliable mode of transportation. One downside of having cycling be this prevalent is that it requires planning from the individual. Individuals either must know what route they’re going to take, or they have to have access to a map or destination planner. Biking is also time consuming when compared to driving or taking a train, so travel time is something that has to be factored into everyday life. You also have to consider what cargo or equipment that you are carrying. It may be more difficult to bike around when carrying heavy objects, backpacks, or bags. There is also the fact that you have to account for the weather. Depending if it is hot or cold, rainy or dry, you have dress differently since you will be biking, which opens up the potential for you to get sweaty in your attire.
Tokyo:
Objective and Overall Goal of Project:
Japan is world renowned for their railway system across the country. Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is famous for having one the most accessible, organized, and efficient train systems for a city. Their rail network consists of both an urban subway system connecting the many prefectures within Tokyo, as well as high speed rail option (known as Shinkansen) that takes you to the other cities in Japan. The goal of the overarching system was to connect all of the densely populated capital, and allow for its people to get from place to place easily and safely.
Detailed Explanation of Project:
Tokyo’s railway system is mixed with both underground and overground lines. What truly separates this system is how broadly you can travel within the city itself. Many railway systems across the world only connect city to city, and fail to allow the people to travel within the city itself. The system within Tokyo allows you to travel cheaply across many separate local train lines. The metro has very strict regulations and policies that passengers adhere to leading to a very safe and reliable transportation method for the citizens. In fact, they are almost always on time, even being known to apologize when a train shows up even a minute late. The train stations are also known for being very clean and having different amenities which allows for people to use them as an in-between point for their destination. The trains and the system that Tokyo handles are extremely tech forward, and as a result they operate to the most efficient and smooth commuting standard. Much of Tokyo’s railway system is private, which has lended to it being profitable. This allows them to have the funds to not only keep the status quo, but to continue to develop and improve their system.
Thoughts, Criticisms, and Ideas:
One criticism that can be made about the system is how complex it can be. In order to get from one place to another, there are so many different ways that you can get to your destination. For someone who uses this system, it can be difficult to navigate it and learn all of its parts. However, they do overcome the issues that come with the complexities by having extremely user-friendly apps and mapsthat show you how to get from one place to another. I would also argue that it is better to have a more complex system with more variety and options rather than having a more limited transportation system. The system can also be difficult to navigate for foreigners as it is more created for the people of Tokyo, and not necessarily tourists and visitors. Another con of the train system in Tokyo is how jam packed some of the trains can get especially during rush hour when people are getting off from work. despite some of the overcrowding issues the metro system is known to be one of the most safe and reliable systems in the world. Tokyo’s metro is one of the most punctual train systems, and you can rely on it to be on time.
London
Objective and Overall Goal of Project:
The London Underground (aka The Tube) is a transportation system that operates around and from central London. The overall goal of the original underground railway was to reduce congestion on the streets of London. This is a huge reason as to why it way built underground, making it the world’s first underground railway. To this day, they continue to provide simple public transport for the people and visitors of London.
Detailed Explanation of Project:
The London Underground network is one of the oldest metro systems in the world. They were opened in 1863 and have been running since then. After 1948, they continued to construct new lines and replaced the trains in order to modernize the system in order to create a safer and more efficient system. The network operates under nine separate zones, with zone being Central London. There are 11 lines that operate throughout the tube, and they operate from 5am to midnight from Monday to Saturday (with lesser hours on Sunday). Trains travel frequently, allowing for people to hop on and off at short distances via the tube. They serve nearly a billion passengers each year and stop at around 270 different stations. In fact, the system now reaches all the way out to their airport as well. They also have integrated technology into their system through the usage of different cards and methods of fares for travel across the city.
Thoughts, Criticisms, and Ideas:
The London Underground is known for being very well kept and clean, which is a plus considering many subway systems that are not maintained sufficiently. I also like the fact that they have a simple system that is easy for people to learn, and this allows for people to not have to stress about how they are getting from one area to another. Their maps and locations are well labeled, which allows for simple decision making. The fact that you are extremely underground is both a blessing and a curse as it allows for there to be a separation from the city itself, but then it also means that there are issues with heating and cooling, WIFI, as well as other technological issues. It is also an old system, so there are things that can worked on in that regard. One probe having such an old system is that it adds a sense of history and wonder for those who use the Tube system. That gives another element for citizens to explore the city and learn more about it. I do like the fact that it is fully underground from the vantage point that it doesn’t take up any land or property overground for the rails and system. At the end of the day, since it is an older system there are some flaws that will stay inherently. However, given the cards they are dealt with, I think that London has done a good job of maintaining a system that aids their public in getting from place to place. Just like many other railway and train systems, they often in the long run begin to resemble the people of the city, and the system has its own sense of character.
Sources & Images
https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/biking
https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/activities/copenhagens-bike-culture
https://matcha-jp.com/en/4409
https://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/london-tube
https://www.britain-visitor.com/britain-travel-guide/london-underground-lines
https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/copenhagen/bike-on-new-bridges
https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/activities/8-reasons-youll-love-biking-copenhagen
Five Tube stations to get 4G coverage in boost for London business commuters
Leave a Reply