Smart City Strategy Articles

Written by:

Jon Glasco

Jon Glasco

Jon Glasco is a freelance consultant and writer focused on innovation in smart cities and smart urban mobility. He has experience in executive and consulting roles in the telecommunications, mobile operator, public transport, government and professional service sectors. Jon holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

7 MIN. READ

Navigating the Challenges of Open Data and Participatory Governance

By Jon Glasco on Mar 6, 2023 12:30:19 PM

Smart cities must collect plenty of data as a means to analyse urban problems and support participatory governance. Fortunately, the modern world generates plenty of data. More than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is a staggering estimate of the volume of data created each day in the global economy, governments, universities and think tanks.

Topics:

Open Data Urban Data Platform Urban Data

9 MIN. READ

Smart Cities and Urban Mobility: Why Public Transport Matters

By Jon Glasco on Feb 2, 2023 12:45:47 PM

Jane Jacobs — journalist, urban theorist and critic — dared to ask in the 20th century why cities were built for cars. While aggressively challenging car-centric urban planning, she wrote that affordable, convenient public transport is vital. Once again, she took a critical stance when she described the urban mobility status quo as “predicated on inconvenient, deteriorating, obsolete public transit” — and blamed transit authorities for “ignoring common-sense alternatives and neglecting innovative thinking.”

Topics:

Smart Mobility Urban Mobility Public Transport

11 MIN. READ

Smart Tourism - Innovation and Reinvention for an Industry in Crisis

By Jon Glasco on Jul 13, 2022 10:27:00 AM

As 2019 drew to a close, the travel and tourism industry had reasons to celebrate. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), IBTM Events, and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) all announced the good news. But then the Covid-19 pandemic dealt a serious blow to the tourism sector.

Topics:

Sustainability Smart City Innovation Smart Cities Digitalization

9 MIN. READ

Sustainable Cities Depend on Smart Ecosystems

By Jon Glasco on Apr 8, 2021 9:30:00 AM

During the coronavirus outbreak in Amsterdam, city leaders took steps to help citizens at risk of isolation due to lockdown measures. As part of the city's "Everyone Connected" project, an ecosystem comprised of local technologists and civil society groups cooperated to deliver refurbished laptops with Internet connectivity to low-income, elderly and other citizens with below-average digital access. This is an example of a local ecosystem responding to an urgent situation that threatened to exacerbate digital and social exclusion. Smart city ecosystems are vital in implementing sustainable solutions and responding to a crisis.

Topics:

Smart City Strategy Smart City Technology Smart Collaboration Smart City Sustainability

10 MIN. READ

The Circular Economy: Vision, Problems and Smart City Solutions

By Jon Glasco on Jul 23, 2019 9:25:54 AM

Our current economic model - known as a linear economy - is not sustainable. This is the warning we hear from scientists, economists and other thought leaders who describe the linear model as a wasteful take-make-consume-dispose system, one that damages natural resources and the environment, generates excessive volumes of waste and dumps valuable materials into landfills. By comparison, the grand vision of a circular economy depicts a more resilient and sustainable model which yields responsible use and reuse of resources and raw materials, protection of the environment, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and innovation in waste management.

Topics:

Smart Environment Smart Economy Sustainability

10 MIN. READ

Smart Cities and the Promise of Innovation in Public Services

By Jon Glasco on Apr 10, 2019 10:47:47 PM

There was a time when bells in town squares warned citizens of impending danger. Today, the bells ring again in the form of studies and media reports with warnings about urban problems that plague modern cities and resist solutions. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of people move to cities in pursuit of a higher quality of life. This is the story of cities: Citizens with big expectations versus the endurance of big city problems. It is a still-unfolding story with numerous villains: social inequality, traffic congestion, pollution, crime, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, aging infrastructure, public service shortfalls.

Topics:

Smart City Strategy Smart City Solutions Smart Government Smart City Urban Innovation Future Cities Digital Transformation Digital City Smarte Verwaltung Smart City Projects

10 MIN. READ

Smart Sustainable Cities in Spain: The Commitment to a Green Economy

By Jon Glasco on Mar 14, 2019 2:34:15 AM

In recent years, an increasing number of Spanish cities recognize the need for bold steps to confront an emerging urban crisis. A crisis with multiple dimensions including damage to quality of life caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, threats of climate change, and an urgency to develop policies that support green city innovation.

Global Perspective: Good Intentions, Complex Barriers

Since the concept of a green economy was forged in the 1990s, the ideas and strategies for green cities have evolved into a variety of urban development policies, smart city solutions and sustainability measures to protect the environment, enable economic development and ensure high quality of life.

Topics:

Smart City Solutions Smart Environment Smart Mobility Sustainability Climate Change Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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