Stupid Cities - part 3: Backdoor Entry

With the public sector lagging considerably behind in incorporating smart city technology which currently is monopolised by handful few companies that can attract the necessary skills and invest in research, the Public sector is increasingly dependant on the private to satisfy the gaps created by a desire to incorporate smart city solutions.

This has allowed private multinationals to infiltrate various public sectors through specific services that provide them revenue but also free data. And so it has come to be that at most conferences an image of a Smart City is peppered with logos of various multinationals. This process of privatisation of the public allows for Smart Cities to be experimental playgrounds for private enterprises.

So next time we are designing Smart, we as professionals of built environment need to query who collects data?, what happens to this data?, is this data sold? or in any ways commercialised? and what is stopping the state from investing and building this Smart infrastructure. We also need to look at how cross referenced and consolidated data has potential to create a "big brother" environment and how that can be prevented.

Note: above is a summary of an ongoing discussion with my colleague and friend Konstantinos Dimitrantzos. It reflects only our opinion and not of our current or any previous employers. We come in peace, etc.