Are smart cities dumb?
A bright new future of clean power and easy living, or a science fiction nightmare?
Driverless cars powered by renewable energy whisking their healthy and happy citizens between gleaming skyscrapers, criss-crossing efficient roads. That’s the dream of many so called smart cities.
The trend for ‘smart cities’ has grown immensely over the last decade and their definition has evolved too. Hundreds are planned or are already being built around the world, in both rich and poor countries.
From Google’s Sidewalk city to Eko Atlantic in Nigeria, tech companies are seeking to tame our ever more urban world.
But critics worry that instead of being clever solutions they simply reinforce the existing poverty and inequality. How can a tech giant solve the problems of the developing world when people need water not wifi? We ask, are smart cities dumb?
Presenter: Kavita Puri
Producer: Jordan Dunbar
Image: Sunrise in New York City
Credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
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How cities in developing countries can be the smartest
Duration: 02:07
Broadcasts
- Thu 7 Mar 201903:06GMTBBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview, Online, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 7 Mar 201906:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean & South Asia only
- Thu 7 Mar 201907:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
- Thu 7 Mar 201914:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Thu 7 Mar 201915:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 7 Mar 201918:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 7 Mar 201920:06GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Thu 7 Mar 201921:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia & East Asia only
- Sat 9 Mar 201917:06GMTBBC World Service News Internet
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