Didem ERYAR ÜNLÜ
CLOSE-UP
didem.eryar@dunya.com
What is a smart city? How do we define the difference between smart cities and sustainable cities? What kind of cities will we live in in the future? Will the number of megacities increase, or will smaller, interconnected city centers gain prominence?
These questions are particularly important for our country, which is undergoing an urban transformation process. We received the answers from Berrin Benli, Founder of Novusens Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute. Before moving on to Benli's answers, it is useful to get to know Novusens Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute closely.
Based in Ankara, Novusens is a think tank that designs and implements innovation policies and strategies in high technologies, strives to contribute to the advancement of technology, focuses on creating new opportunities to increase economic growth, and works on innovative models that will shape the future to improve the quality of life. Berrin Benli says that the concept of smart cities has more than one definition in the world, but each definition unites in a common philosophy.
According to the British Standards Institute (BSI), smart cities consist of effectively integrated digital and human systems to offer their citizens a sustainable, prosperous, and participatory future. The Smart City Council defines smart cities as those that use information and communication technologies to improve the livability, workability, and sustainability of the city.
Smart means digital, environmentally friendly, sustainable, and more.
The European Union's definition of a smart city is "places where traditional services and networks are made more efficient by using digital and telecommunication technologies to benefit residents and businesses."
Beyond all these definitions, according to Berrin Benli, the most comprehensive definition of the smart city concept belongs to Faruk Eczacıbaşı, President of the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV): “Cities that invest in information and communication technologies to use their limited resources more effectively and efficiently, save money as a result of these investments, improve the quality of services and life with these savings, reduce their carbon footprint on nature, respect the environment and natural resources, and do all this with innovative and sustainable methods.”
In fact, the concept of a “smart city” encompasses all similar characteristics such as information city, digital city, thinking city, networked city, eco-friendly city, skilled city, and sustainable city.
Benli, stating that “in the journey of transformation to smart cities, it is important not to forget that the role of technology is facilitating and is definitely a tool, not an end in itself,” refers to the Smart City Model of Boyd Cohen, an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Smart Cities at the Universidad del Desarrollo. According to this model, smart cities have undergone three evolutionary stages:
“Smart City 1.0 Model” includes city models dominated by the leadership of large multinational technology companies. Because the first smart cities developed were based on this model, the concept of a smart city has always been equated with technology. “However, technology is merely a tool to improve the quality of life in the cities we live in,” says Benli.
Cohen's “Smart City 2.0 Model” describes models run under the ownership of local governments, not technology companies. This model involves a process where municipalities, along with visionary mayors and city administrators, decide what the future of their cities should be and what role smart technologies and innovation should play. “In this model, city administrators focus on technology support to improve the quality of life in the city. Barcelona, Singapore, and Rio are good examples of cities that have implemented this model,” adds Benli.
According to Cohen, the “Smart City 3.0” model has a citizen-participatory characteristic. Benli, stating that Amsterdam and Seoul are the most successful examples of this model, says, “Cohen’s prediction is that a combination of Smart City 2.0 and 3.0 models will be the best model for the future.”
Turkey Smart Cities Strategy Initiative
Benli says that the Smart Cities Institute was established within Novusens five years ago, and that the institute develops innovation policies and strategies in high technologies and focuses on creating new opportunities to increase economic growth. In 2014, the institute, together with the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV), launched the Turkey Smart Cities Strategy Initiative, which is planned to serve as a reference for all institutions and organizations working on smart cities. Berrin Benli states that in the first phase of the initiative, they published the “Turkey Smart Cities Assessment Report,” which reveals the results in the areas of transportation, energy, and water, and provides a roadmap for the coming period. Türkiye Smart Cities Strategy