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  • Writer's pictureMaria H. Blake

Smart cities and sustainability in 2023: Oxygen Summit insights



 

The last days of June XME.digital spent at Liverpool Oxygen Summit - smart cities & sustainability show. Our Chief Marketing Officer, Iryna Manukovska, represented the team with an insightful speech on lifesaving device management with the XME.fast code platform.


But how about the portion of emerging trends and thoughts on the smart city field's current state and its readiness for a sustainable future?


Read on to explore the latest news.




Smart cities in the world: top trends and challenges you should know about


There's no 100% successful smart city experience


Each renowned smart city project, such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia, Busan in South Korea, and Las Vegas in the U.S., represents a promising opportunity in the business landscape. These ambitious endeavors showcase the potential for enhancing the quality of life for citizens and creating value for humanity. However, smart cities worldwide encounter significant challenges that demand strategic solutions.


Despite the undeniable progress, no smart city has achieved absolute completion or perfection. There exist persistent tasks like:

  • renovating older infrastructure

  • addressing social welfare concerns to uplift communities

  • prudent utilization of natural resources

Business entities are actively driving innovation through technology to surmount these obstacles. They focus on developing cutting-edge solutions that empower smart cities to overcome hurdles and enhance efficiency. Companies are moving from small things to big ones, starting with smart home construction and smooth IoT implementation in the HoReCa sector to ensure people's readiness for the technologies. On the other hand, the public sector plays a vital role in establishing social protection initiatives to ensure the well-being of citizens in these urban environments.


While strides have been made, the quest for a truly 100% smart and sustainable city remains ongoing. The world is witnessing an era of collaboration between private and public sectors, working towards realizing this ambitious vision.



It all depends on the environment and culture


What makes a smart city unique and enhances its appeal lies in its remarkable capacity to adapt to the local environmental conditions and embrace the unique cultural aspects of its region. Consequently, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be seamlessly implemented in Korea and Namibia. However, this variation is acceptable and imperative, as a flourishing smart city thrives on a resident-oriented approach as its primary guiding principle.


While the underlying principles of smart city project development remain consistent across different locations, the outcome is always distinct. This variability stems from the essential focus on catering to the specific needs and preferences of the residents in each locale. By prioritizing the customization of smart solutions to align with local requirements, a smart city becomes highly convenient and efficient for its inhabitants, fostering a strong sense of belonging and community engagement.



Free economic zones are drivers of sustainable smart city development


In smart city advancement, two pivotal pillars stand tall: strategic investment and the availability of skilled talent adept at transforming visionary concepts into tangible realities. At the heart of this progress lie Free Economic Zones (FEZs), commanding a central role as engines fueling the smart city development.


FEZs catalyze economic growth, enticing businesses with bright commercial prospects and fostering a culture of innovation and swift technology adoption. Their existence gives rise to a landscape of sustainable employment while embracing environmental stewardship.

Moreover, these zones pave the way for the seamless integration of smart infrastructure and cutting-edge connectivity, laying the groundwork for a digitally optimized urban landscape. FEZs epitomize the convergence of business acumen and social responsibility by harmonizing industry, innovation, and sustainability.



Ukraine can become a smart city hub after the war


The russian invasion of Ukraine has had devastating consequences. However, amidst the challenges, Ukraine has a unique opportunity to emerge as a potential smart city hub and a donor of various projects both during the war and after it ends.


Two exemplary initiatives, Kyiv Tsifroviy and DIIA, demonstrate the efficiency of communication and service delivery to citizens, especially during emergencies. Ukraine is diligently developing citizen-oriented software, positioning itself to become a pioneer in the smart city domain, mainly as the need to reconstruct numerous settlements arises.


International partners are eager to invest in renovating Ukrainian cities in this transformative phase. Concurrently, the government is actively creating a favorable tax policy to encourage and support the inflow of foreign investments. This collaborative effort promises to set Ukraine on the path to technological and economic leadership in the smart city arena.




A smart city is about the best standards of living


The concept of smart cities revolves around enhancing the overall quality of life and achieving a harmonious blend of spiritual well-being and safety. The spiritual aspect encompasses providing general comfort and abundant green spaces, creating an environment that fosters inspiration and a strong connection with nature. On the other hand, safety entails comprehensive measures to ensure public safety and effective management of emergencies.


A cutting-edge lifesaving device management platform designed with the XME.fast code platform is among the efficient solutions for smart cities. This software offers broad capabilities to prevent fires in smart offices and houses. The platform significantly reduces maintenance costs, boasting a potential cost reduction of up to 90%, all while ensuring full compliance with relevant regulations and standards.



Businesses turn the smart city into a sustainable one


Enterprises offer cutting-edge solutions tailored for smart cities with a rapidly expanding array of tools. The primary focus of these software projects is to enhance the sustainability and safety of smart cities. Notably, during the Oxygen Summit, several innovative products were unveiled:


  • Rainmore: A solution designed to collect and utilize rainwater resources efficiently.

  • Liquio platform: An advanced system empowering cities with a wide range of admin services.

  • Carbominer: A sophisticated tool for accurately measuring and monitoring carbon emissions.

  • Solar Plex: A state-of-the-art technology enabling precise control of heat levels.


These ground-breaking innovations are revolutionizing various aspects of urban living, from waste management to optimizing public administrative services. Companies are working collaboratively to integrate these diverse concepts into a cohesive and interconnected urban landscape. The shared objective is to create smart cities that are sustainable, safe, and efficient in meeting the needs of their inhabitants.


Want to develop your own software solution for a smart city?

Contact us to explore how to achieve high ROI and speed up development velocity with the XME.fast code platform. 


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