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What is a smart city? How do we distinguish between smart cities and sustainable cities? What kind of cities will we inhabit in the future? Will the number of megacities rise, or will smaller, interconnected urban centers become dominant?

These questions are crucial, particularly for our country, which is currently undergoing a process of urban transformation. We sought answers from Berrin Benli, the founder of the Novusens Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Before turning to her insights, it is worth taking a closer look at the Novusens Institute itself.

Based in Ankara, Novusens is a think tank that designs and implements innovation policies and strategies in high-tech sectors. It strives to advance technological progress, create new opportunities for economic growth, and develop innovative models that shape the future to enhance the quality of life. Berrin Benli notes that while there are various definitions of "smart cities" globally, they all converge on a shared philosophy.

According to the British Standards Institution (BSI), smart cities consist of effectively integrated digital and human systems designed to offer citizens a sustainable, prosperous, and participatory future. The Smart City Council defines smart cities as those that utilize information and communication technologies to ensure urban livability, functionality, and sustainability.
"Smart" means digital, eco-friendly, sustainable, and more.

The European Union defines a smart city as a place where "traditional services and networks are made more efficient through the use of digital and telecommunication technologies, for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses."

Beyond all these definitions, according to Berrin Benli, the most comprehensive definition of the smart city concept comes from Faruk Eczacıbaşı, President of the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV): "Cities that invest in information and communication technologies to utilize their limited resources more effectively and efficiently; achieve savings through these investments; enhance the quality of services and life using those savings; reduce their carbon footprint; respect the environment and natural resources; and accomplish all of this through innovative and sustainable methods."

In essence, the "smart city" concept encompasses a range of similar characteristics—such as knowledge city, digital city, thinking city, networked city, eco-friendly city, talented city, and sustainable city.

"On the journey toward transforming into smart cities, we must not forget that the role of technology is to facilitate; it is certainly a tool, not an end in itself," says Benli, referencing the Smart City Model developed by Boyd Cohen, an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Smart Cities at Universidad del Desarrollo. According to this model, smart cities have undergone three stages of evolution:
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The “Smart City 1.0 Model” encompasses city models dominated by the leadership of large multinational technology providers. Since the earliest smart cities were developed based on this model, the concept of the smart city has consistently been equated with technology itself. “Yet, technology is merely a tool to enhance the quality of life in the cities we inhabit,” says Benli.
Cohen’s “Smart City 2.0 Model” describes models driven by local governments rather than technology companies. This model involves a process wherein municipalities—alongside visionary mayors and city administrators—determine the future of their cities and the roles that smart technologies and innovation will play in that future. “In this model, city administrators focus on leveraging technology to improve the city's quality of life. Barcelona, ​​Singapore, and Rio are excellent examples of cities worldwide that implement this model,” Benli adds.

According to Cohen, the “Smart City 3.0” model is characterized by citizen participation. Noting that Amsterdam and Seoul are the most successful examples of this model, Benli states, “Cohen envisions that a hybrid of the Smart City 2.0 and 3.0 models will represent the best approach for the future.”

Turkey Smart Cities Strategy Initiative

Benli notes that the Smart City Institute was established within Novusens five years ago, stating that the institute develops innovation policies and strategies in high-tech fields and focuses on creating new opportunities to boost economic growth. In 2014, the institute—in collaboration with the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV)—launched the Turkey Smart Cities Strategy Initiative, designed to serve as a reference for all institutions and organizations working on smart cities. Berrin Benli explains that during the initiative's first phase, they published the "Turkey Smart Cities Assessment Report," which presented findings in the areas of transportation, energy, and water, as well as a roadmap for the future. Noting that the second phase of the Turkey Smart Cities Strategy Initiative focused on mid-sized cities, Benli says, "We began working to systematically transform our cities into smart cities using a digital transformation model. We completed the first phase of the 'Aklım Fikrim Çanakkale' [My Mind, My Idea: Çanakkale] project—which aimed to contribute to Çanakkale’s smart city vision and facilitate its transformation—on May 31, 2017. Cities need to have smart city visions developed in collaboration with their stakeholders. We applied this approach to Çanakkale."

To become a smart city...

Stating that “citizens must be at the center of everything,” Berrin Benli outlines the essentials for becoming a smart city as follows:

- “It is necessary to establish ‘Smart City Collective Wisdom Platforms’—with local stakeholders as members—and for institutions to make their data accessible while adhering to data privacy principles. Unfortunately, public institutions still struggle to share data even with one another. The more data that is shared, the faster progress can be made on urban solutions.”

- “Collaboration among the private sector, public sector, NGOs, and academia is a cornerstone of smart cities. It is highly unlikely for smart city initiatives to succeed in cities where institutions fail to collaborate.”

- “‘Smart City Entrepreneurship’ is crucial, and this field is beginning to grow. We are working to develop the necessary infrastructure so that entrepreneurs can create solutions for the problems facing the cities where they live.”

- “Just as the Smart Cities Council approaches the concept of the smart city through the three pillars of livability, sustainability, and workability, the citizen must remain at the center of it all.”

Megacities, mega-corridors

Berrin Benli highlights the findings of Frost & Sullivan’s report titled "Urbanization Trends in 2020: Mega Cities and Smart Cities Built on a Vision of Sustainability." According to the report, there will be a rise in megacities, mega-regions, and mega-corridors. By 2025, more than 60 percent of the global population will reside in cities. Population growth and infrastructure developments will cause city boundaries to expand rapidly, absorbing surrounding towns and forming megacities with populations exceeding ten million. By 2023, a total of 30 megacities are expected to exist globally, with 55 percent of them located in emerging economies such as India, China, Russia, and Latin America. Clusters of two or more nearby megacities will give rise to massive mega-regions. Another trend Benli emphasizes is the formation of mega-corridors connecting two or more megacities or regions; infrastructure developments and transportation links connecting these megacities will drive the expansion of such corridors. Benli also cites an interesting example from a TEDxBoston talk titled "Responsive Cities" by Kent Larson, a director at the MIT Media Lab. Larson notes that while cities are continuously growing, urban structures must adapt to this expansion. A study by the MIT Media Lab predicts that, in the interest of sustainability, future cities may consist of neighborhoods where one can walk from end to end in 20 minutes and meet all daily needs within that walking distance.

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