2023-11-21 13:39:48
Cities, where more than half of the world’s population resides, stand at a crossroads. As global warming imposes radical changes, digital technology appears to be an essential tool for rethinking and transforming our metropolises. Unfortunately, its appropriation by city stakeholders is still imperfect.
Since the smart city became a central figure in the debate on urban planning in the 2000s, three complementary ecosystems coexist without really understanding each other. On the one hand, the traditional actors of the city: town planners, architects, local elected officials… On the other, the proponents of a technological vision of the city, often accused by the former of relegating the inhabitants and their uses to the background. . The third ecosystem is that of energy companies, who have long been players in urban development, without always being recognized as such. The challenge lies in reconciling their sometimes divergent perspectives.
The approach low tech, often mentioned as a response to our ills, cannot be sufficient on its own in the face of the scale of the challenges. We must innovate, with discernment but without turning our back on the different technologies that are emerging today. Take the example of concrete: criticized for its carbon footprint, it nevertheless remains fundamental for construction. The solution ? Reinvent it, decarbonize it and optimize its use thanks to digital technology. Everywhere, it is this pragmatic approach that we must adopt, in a reasoned and sustainable technological approach. Let’s take another example: that of renewable energies.
They are of course essential, but their effectiveness depends on digital management which allows their production to be optimized. The same goes for buildings: how can we imagine efficient buildings without a digital model, without digital design tools? How can we optimize the transport mix between different modalities, each having their merits? And why deprive yourself of the tools which today make citizen consultation on development projects more fluid? All these examples prove that refusing technology is actually an illusion.
However, digital itself must be exemplary and decarbonize. Data centers, the pivots of our digital era, must also become more environmentally friendly. It’s time to harness the most advanced technologies, combined with clean energy sources, to make digital truly sustainable.
One of the biggest challenges remains cooperation between different ecosystems. Urban planners, elected officials, energy specialists and digital experts must join forces, and each carry out a small Copernican revolution. Because, faced with the climate imperative, collaboration becomes an absolute necessity. It is essential to overcome prejudices and rivalries, to learn to work together, and to integrate differences in temporality: while major urban projects often take a decade or more, digital technology lives in the moment. And all – public and private, architects, engineers and data scientists, startups, SMEs and large groups – must embrace a common vision: that of a human, desirable and ecological city. The time has come for collective momentum to realize this vision!
How to achieve this? The answer is complex; we bet that we will find it by placing humans and the planet at the heart of our reflections. One thing is certain: harmony will arise from the complementarity of the three ecosystems, each of which holds part of the answer to redefining what a smart city can be in the era of the climate imperative. The future of our cities is at stake now! Everyone must therefore work, without delay, to know each other better and to collaborate better. Because it is together, hand in hand, that we will design cities that are both innovative and respectful, cities that preserve and inspire, and which will serve future generations.
Charles-Edouard Delpierre, deputy general director of Tractebel-Engie
1700583911
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