Macroscope | Cities must aim higher if they’re to be ready for the Internet of Things

Ask Kevin Ashton what he meant when he reportedly coined the term “Internet of Things” while working at MIT before the turn of the last millennium and he’d probably tell you he meant computers evolving to becoming independent actors capable of understanding and reacting to events around them, not dependent on the human input of data.

The concept is relatively straightforward. But the Internet of Things – like the smart cities it will eventually support – has been the confine of tech wonks and grand thinkers in city halls for too long. Once you understand the simplicity of the idea, you can start to truly appreciate its enormous potential.

We may be some way off flying taxis or food delivery by drone becoming the norm. But it’s possible solar-powered buildings will be capable of running themselves, storing excess energy and offering it to vehicles in the area. Drivers could save more than 60 unproductive hours a year through instantaneous alerts of available parking spaces.

But city governments across the globe have set their ambitions too low. This isn’t simply about more efficient toll roads or more responsive public transport, but fundamentally transforming the way people interact with the built environment around them. A fully fledged Internet of Things opens a wealth of possibilities, and cities must set their sights higher.

It’s important we get this right. Urban populations around the world are growing by 60 million people each year. More than half of the world’s population currently live in cities. This number is expected to grow by 2.5 billion by 2050. And most of this growth will come in Africa and Asia, where infrastructure within cities can be varied at best. The lack of a proper plan could exacerbate the divide between wealthy and deprived areas in developing nations.