Smart City

What exactly is a Smart City, and what does it have to do with parking software? Great questions. There are a lot of definitions for a smart city, some that revolve around people, around technology, and around process. Below are a few that stand out.

"Smart cities are a process rather than a static outcome, in which increased citizen engagement, hard infrastructure, social capital and digital technologies make cities more liveable, resilient and better able to respond to challenges"

“A smart city means smart citizens – where citizens have all the information they need to make informed choices about their lifestyle, work and travel options”

There are dozens of great definitions, plus the ideas you've formed after hearing about the concept from all kinds of sources. Whatever one you like the best, it leads us to the next part - how does parking fit in?

SMART PARKING

The article to the right is a detailed explanation of how parking can fit into a smart city, and why it's often a quick and easy win and place many municipalities test the waters for investment appetite and all around support.

If you don't have time for the 6 page read, here are 4 key points it conveys:

1. A Smart City is defined by sensors that collect information and relay it to a hub, which recommends actions based on data analysis. Smart parking is applying this concept to parking.

2. Citizen and government engagement and interaction is critical to the success and long term viability of the smart city concepts.

3. Smart parking is a subset of the smart city concept that’s easily implemented; pros and cons exist, however the net impact is positive.

4. Many other technologies (like autonomous vehicles) are impacting the adoption of smart parking and often creating more questions than answers.