IET calls for public engagement campaign around benefits of new technology
Only 18 per cent of the British public has heard of a “smart city”, according to research carried out by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The research is reported in a new IET report, Smart Cities – Time to involve the people, which also reveals low interest in the technologies typically associated with smart cities. For example, only 8 per cent saw a value in being able to order driverless or electric transport from their smart phone.
Cities’ adoption of new technologies has traditionally involved little consultation with consumers. As a result, the report suggests that the public has yet to buy into the idea of smart cities – and be convinced of the value and benefits that technology, delivered on a city-scale, could bring to their daily lives.
New disruptive technologies and applications such as Uber (on-demand taxi services) and Airbnb (online accommodation service) may help to change hearts and minds, but the findings suggest there is still some way to go. [Read more…] about Most people don’t know what a smart city is, say engineers
