Smart Cities

The articles in this special section focus on smart cities. These cities of the future will be equipped with sensors that measure the daily movements of its citizens; the pollution of its air water; the quality of its roads, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks. A smart city dynamically regulates its traffic, guides its visitors to interesting events and places, and advises its travelers which public transportation to choose based on real-time information. However, with a wealth of information on its inhabitants and their physical and social environments, a smart city may also feel like Big Brother invading our privacy as it scrutinizes where we go, where we shop, where we eat and drink, and whomwe visit. But what makes a city actually smart? Largely following Caragliu et al.,1 we can state that a city is smart when investments in human and social capital, as well as digital infrastructure, fuel sustainable economic growth and a high quality of life through participatory governance. There are at least three key elements in this definition. The goal is clear: we want to boost economic growth and improve the quality of life. To that end, we need to invest in people and in digital infrastructure.