Smart Cities For Dummies

Chapter 8

Enabling Change through Technology

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the drivers of technological change in cities

Discovering how the fourth industrial revolution is shaping the world

Defining the role of the Internet of Things (IoT)

Exploring a variety of new and emerging technologies for use in cities

In his book, WTF?: What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us, the notable Silicon Valley technology pundit Tim O’Reilly, the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, says that “reinventing government to bring it up to date with the rest of society is one of the grand challenges of the twenty-first century.” I think he has it exactly right. For a whole host of reasons, city governments find themselves playing catch-up in terms of contemporary processes and technologies. By 2022, it’s predicted that there will be a global market for smart city technology and services of around $158 billion annually. China alone is anticipated to spend approximately $333 billion by 2025 on transforming 80 percent of its cities into smart cities.

You can find lots of great exceptions — cities pushing ...