If Americans are to address a rising tide of urban dysfunction and implement high-tech, smart cities, they must focus not only on digital technologies but also on the culture of digital citizenship.
This is according to Park Jung-sook, secretary-general of the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), a global association of over 200 cities worldwide.
Park emphasizes the importance of data generated by smart citizens and the need for a social contract in smart cities.
The adoption of new technologies can help resolve issues such as rising crime, underpopulated downtowns, and declining revenue bases for basic services and security in American cities. However, the strategies for tech adoption must be systemic rather than just physical.
According to Park, smart cities are not just about master planning but are a new culture for humankind.
She emphasizes the need for realistic attitudes toward data collection, pragmatic attitudes toward data use, and protocols governing the interfaces between technology, government, business, the individual, and society in smart cities.
Park points out that citizens play a crucial role in the development of smart cities. If citizens don’t supply data, smart cities cannot be created.
In South Korea, data-intensive technologies played a significant role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the benefits of smart cities. The country’s citizens did not protest the invasive measures due to the deep roots of democracy and the trust in the government’s handling of data.
However, implementing similar measures in the United States may face challenges due to popular skepticism of central government and concerns about privacy and personal liberties.
Park suggests that balance must be found, and elected officials are key to building trust between the government and citizens.
Smart cities offer multiple technologies to improve urban life, such as smart curtains, tailored housing, decentralized work and education, sustainability initiatives, enhanced surveillance systems, waste management systems, and more.
Ultimately, the development of smart cities requires a social compact on digital rights and ethics, promoting ethical citizenship.
