A new report from IHS Technology (an international company with a presence in more than 31 countries that works in the current business panorama, focusing on energy, economy, sustainability and supply chain management) reveals that Smart Cities will proliferate at a very significant rate with a capacity to generate business that can reach astronomical figures..
According to IHS the number of Smart cities or Smart Cities around the world will quadruple in an approximate period of 12 years from 2013, as a "reasoned solution" to the disproportionate growth suffered by large cities where, according to the United Nations, 70% of the world population will live in urban centers in 2050, where the scarcity of resources will be a weak point, along with the desire to improve energy efficiency.
Two articles to better understand the progress of cities: Maps to better understand cities and parametric urbanism that will be a revolution for urban planners.
The estimation of Smart Cities in the year 2013 was 21 cities according to the definition designated by IHS (Cities that have implemented or are piloting the integration of information, communications and technology (ICT) through three or more different areas of a city; areas that may include mobility or transportation , energy and sustainability, physical infrastructure, governance and security » Around 88 Smart Cities are expected by 2025.
Although, currently the Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) area represented the largest number of Smart Cities in 2013, the future revolution will be found in the Asia-Pacific area, which could reach the number of 32 Smart Cities In the next nine years, Europe would reach 31, and the area of America would be left with 25 cities.
At the time we already talked about the advantages and disadvantages of Smart Cities in the same country or territory that may even cause the appearance of first and second category Cities, reaching greater differences according to continents, before a concept that in some areas are considered "New elitist cities ”where it is not renewed but if new projects are proposed for citizens with high purchasing power.
Another highlight is the scope that cities can have. The Smart Cities of America are presented with less scope than those that can be found in Europe, focusing on a single functional area (Example; Mobility and transport).
In the Asia-Pacific area, projects are presented for the creation of new infrastructures instead of replacing or improving legacy systems with new urban design projects to make them more user-friendly.
The reality is that behind technology-based projects a lot of money moves, if the estimate that was made for the 2013 in investments destined to Smart Cities was 1 Billion Dollars, by 2025 it is estimated at 12 Billion Dollars, a very juicy candy that the big technology companies are not going to waste.
This data is available in the report entitled "Smart Cities: Business Models, Technologies and Existing Projects" of useful information technology from IHS Technology.