As more people populate urban areas, by 2050 two-thirds of the global population is expected to live in cities. New concepts are in demand to ensure clean energy, water, and food supply for residents. There is also a pressing need for solutions to alleviate increasing traffic, pollution, and safety concerns. In recent years, several cities around the globe have begun to meet these challenges by modernizing their traditional setup and services with the help of smart technologies. They have started their journey toward becoming smart cities.

There is no single blueprint for the city of the future – each city has its unique challenges and history, influencing its future direction. What smart cities usually have in common is widespread, accessible, and integrated technologies. These include, e.g., wireless networks, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, and integrated command centres. With the help of these technologies, cities can provide resilient and sustainable infrastructures, services, and solutions to residents and visitors. As a result, the quality of life and overall happiness increase due to economic prosperity.

Smart city transformation is often initiated by government bodies while gradually increasing by the involvement of the private sector and end users, who should actively shape the city they live in. The Middle East, for instance, is home to several exciting large-scale projects, many of which are greenfield. This provides an excellent opportunity to learn from best practices and develop with fewer existing constraints. But it also presents some key challenges as thorough planning and prioritization are required to unlock maximum value while controlling budgets. It is critical to avoid “reinventing the wheel”; the technology strategy should be developed together with experienced partners that have learned and innovated based on their experience on an international scale.

From our experience with global clients and technology partners, we have found that cutting-edge technologies and solutions are one crucial part that makes the city smart – but it is not enough. The following chapters outline five key enabling factors for successful implementation:

• Developing a holistic vision and technology strategy
• Evaluating the impact and finalizing the initiatives execution roadmap
• Building an ecosystem of partners
• Developing an integrated technology platform
• Starting small, optimizing, and scaling

Cities are confronted with multifaceted problems, which require structured and interlinking action plans. These need to be based on sound and tested strategies and consider all stakeholders.

Because it is impossible to achieve a smart city alone, strategies must include partners and integrate with them. The transformation toward becoming a smart city can only be successful with such a holistic concept.

Click here to read the Siemens Advanta report on realizing the reality of Smart Cities