Smart cities - Beyond the hype

Less than a third of cities (31 per cent) say they have an integrated/overarching smart city strategy that looks beyond individual solutions, according to research carried out by SmartCitiesWorld, in association with Interact by Signify.

The Smart cities: Beyond the hype report surveyed city officials and executives from telecommunications companies, system integrators and other suppliers to find out which smart city approaches are proving most successful, which vertical applications are being prioritised and what the challenges are to a truly integrated smart city.

It finds that many cities can be described as being at an inflection or tipping point and the decisions they take next are likely to have a significant impact on their future success.

With the majority of cities lacking an overarching strategy, the report raises concerns about how such an approach might impede the cities’ longer term aspirations. It highlights the importance of breaking down silos and using an open digital architecture so data and commands can be shared across systems

The lack of integrated approach aligns with the survey findings that the majority of cities are typically responding to specific drivers and challenges and therefore prioritising individual vertical applications.