Several prominent so-called “smart cities” projects have been recently set back by data privacy and security concerns. You may be familiar with Quayside, a 12-acre Toronto waterfront redevelopment effort led by Google-backed Sidewalk Labs, as one example. Others include San Diego’s smart streetlights, the video surveillance data from which was heavily used by their police department before their shutoff, and more recently the end of a partnership between Portland Metro and mobility data platform Replica (also affiliated with Sidewalk Labs).
On the surface, these tensions may seem to indicate a move away from smart cities. But looking deeper, we feel they point more strongly toward the importance of a thoughtful approach toward smart cities.
First, local challenges and needs should drive smart city solutions – not the other way around. Humanism, which we define as “ensuring the needs of people inform technology – not the other way around” is one of our Alliance values. That’s why the Alliance’s work is based on the Challenge Areas we identified by analyzing discovery research on the priority challenges and projects of our government members. Second, we believe the Internet of Things (IoT), applications and data should not define Smart Cities – the process by which they solve problems should. Our Elements of Smart Government Resource underscores this, citing Data + Outcomes and Community Engagement as core elements – not the flashiest new sensors. Finally, our mission is to “create technology partnerships that develop and prove next-generation solutions to the challenges shared across Colorado communities.” By transcending vendor-client relationships and instead forging genuine cross-sector, mutually beneficial partnerships, we hope to encounter any sticking points – data privacy and security related or not – with a shared vision and respectful resolution.
In a somewhat nascent, fast-moving industry like smart cities, uncharted territory is common and missteps are inevitable. What truly matters in our view, though, is a thoughtful approach that puts people first and everything after in true partnership.
