17 Jun Smart infrastructures, the key to more resilient and efficient cities
Despite the technological development of recent decades, urban infrastructures and the maintenance thereof has not changed very much over time. A contributing factor is the fear of experimenting with assets that are too valuable for the economy and which are essential for everyday life.
Today, however, infrastructures are becoming goods or products within themselves. Infrastructure companies and ports are realizing that, in order to stand out, they need to become smart. Their role is increasingly crucial for the development of sustainable and resilient cities, capable of tackling climate change.
The development of smart infrastructures requires a considerable investment, but it will be one of the main economic driving forces of cities over the coming years: it is estimated that these could deliver up to $26 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.
Sea transport is the cheapest way of the transport of the goods. Therefore, ports are crucial in Europe, particularly bearing in mind that half its population lives far away from the sea. European ports are leaders in terms of size but also in terms of innovation. In some of the more modern ports, such as Barcelona, those in charge are working on unifying all the information through blockchain technology, video analytics to manage the queues of trucks and the use of drones to complete the last section of journeys, sending the goods directly to the final recipient.
Another decisive infrastructure aspect, which also needs to be reassessed, is urban and interurban lighting, including lighting on transport roads, which is currently obsolete. Many cities are switching from traditional lightning to smart LED grid lightning in order to cut their electricity costs.
From simply collecting data to improve water management to innovative urban planning policy practices, small changes in infrastructure and construction can provide enormous benefits for citizens. And for cities that need to optimize the management of certain material and economic resources, which are never enough to meet all the requirements.
