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Smart city, the new ideal city?

What would tomorrow’s ideal city look like? Technology now gives us the digital tools to manage our cities like we manage factories … Harvest and processing of public data, ecological advances, artificial intelligence : the “smart city” promises to solve any urban issue with great efficiency. We aim at perfection, but let’s not forget the popular saying : the best is the enemy of the good. A 100% rationalized, “algorithmic” city might not be the only answer to human challenges…

The eternal quest for a perfect city

If you grew up in the 80s like me — the golden age of Japanese cartoons, you probably remember those you loved to watch after school. Personally, my favorite was a french tv show called Les Mystérieuses cités d’or (The Mysterious Cities of Gold). A young hero, Esteban, boarded on a ship to search legendary cities in South America. This quest was difficult, challenging and so stimulating; it certainly influenced my desire to travel the world once I grew up.

The myth of the ideal city…