Topic : Smart Cities (2018/19)

The impact of technology on where we live, work and play

This is an archived version of a page from Digital Society 2018/9, to preserve content for past participants. See the main page for the latest materials.

[Image: Futuristic city] What will cities look like in the future? Will the ‘technology’ be visible? [CC0]

Manchester students: work through this page and leave a comment before Mon week 3 (11 Feb).

Digital technologies are having an increasing impact on determining our environment and the places that we live, work and play. What will be the impact of technology on the future of our cities?

Reading

Liverpool to use blockchain technology to become world's first climate-positive city

Designing the Smart City

From Smart Cities and Smart Citizens to Smart Societies — the story so far…

Smart cities are boring. Give us responsive cities.

Could the smart city mean the death of privacy?

Access the full reading list (all topics in one place plus optional reading)

What do you think?

After reading the above, try to answer these questions:

• Can smart technology help address climate change and make cities more sustainable?
• What would a ‘smart city’ look like to you?
• Have you noticed any real life examples of technology being used to make a city smarter?
• Do you think we should embrace more technologies when improving our cities or do you think we can go too far?
• Are there areas and people within society that living in a smart city may affect negatively? Who and why?

Leave a comment

After accessing and thinking about the above, leave a comment below to share an idea, a question, or a response.