‘Smart Cities’ Evolve Beyond Devices to Become More Local

The concept of a “smart city” or “connected community” has been around for decades, but experts argue the meaning of the term, and the expectations around it, have changed in recent years. Residential input remains vital, city leaders explain.

More than a decade since the smart city concept gained traction, local governments continue shaping the general idea to suit their needs, with its purpose evolving from solution-based toward a public-sector mindset centered on unique strategies.

Smart cities have been a topic of discussion for decades. By the 2010s, the federal government was investing in an initiative to help local governments take part. Around this time, smart cities largely focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) — broadly defined as an infrastructure for interoperable information technologies — but the focus has shifted. Now, federal Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation program grants are bolstering cities’ capacity for smart city initiatives; and the term “smart cities” encompasses new technologies, data-sharing capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI).

In Long Beach, Calif., an active smart city initiative involves residents and takes into account their perspectives, according to Technology Partnerships Officer Ryan Kurtzman. Kurtzman was Long Beach’s smart cities program manager for more than four years before taking on his current role. As he explained it, the “smart city” term originated largely in the private sector, to sell products or services to cities.

But that has changed during the past five years or so, he said, with the ideas behind the term now being examined and defined in local contexts, more at the city level than in the private sector. In recent years, cities like Long Beach have had the chance to define what “smart cities” means for them, which leaders did through their Smart City Strategic Plan and community engagement.

“I would say we’ve taken a stance that’s very community-first and community-centered when it comes to smart cities,” Kurtzman said. He pointed to last year’s Long Beach Collaboratory program, which heard directly from residents about neighborhood-level problems — and yielded four smart city solutions around pedestrian safety, connectivity, park safety and safe streets. Now, he argues the next steps are to communicate the value of community engagement and user experience to technology companies working in this space.

In the southwest, Mesa, Ariz., launched…