Check out to the episode:

https://youtu.be/_VSwogru9b8

You can find the shownotes through this link.

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Are you interested in the connection between smart cities and green urbanism?

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Our summary today works with the article titled Formal model for green urbanism in smart cities from 2024 by Luca Lezzerini, presented at the International Conference on Green Urbanism and then published as part of Greening Our Cities: Sustainable Urbanism for a Greener Future book.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Matt Gijselman in episode 258 talking about the green and blue urban infrastructure.

Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how smartness and green urbanism can connect. This article presents modes to measure green urbanism in smart cities.

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Welcome to today’s What is The Future For Cities podcast and its Research episode; my name is Fanni, and today I will introduce a research paper by summarising it. The episode really is just a short summary of the original paper, and, in case it is interesting enough, I would encourage everyone to check out the whole paper. Stay tuned until because I will give you the 3 most important things and some questions which would be interesting to discuss.

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As cities around the world face increasing environmental challenges, urban planners are turning to concepts like Green Urbanism. Green Urbanism refers to the development of urban areas with a focus on sustainability, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing liveability by integrating principles such as energy efficiency, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable resource use within city planning and infrastructure. The integration of green principles into smart city design is seen as essential for balancing urban development with the preservation of natural resources. However, measuring a city’s “green” dimension is not straightforward. While smart cities aim to incorporate technologies that enhance quality of life, resilience, and equity, the environmental impact of these cities is often difficult to quantify. This gap between smart city development and environmental sustainability is the central focus of this research.

One of the key challenges is how to define and measure the green aspects of a smart city. For example, Songdo, a smart city in Korea, claims to be one of the greenest cities in the world. Yet, its development involved the destruction of wetlands, which complicates its environmental credentials. The city replaced 600 hectares of coastal wetlands with commercial and residential spaces, sparking debates about whether urban expansion in smart cities truly supports environmental sustainability. This dilemma shows the need for a model that can provide clear metrics for evaluating a city’s green progress. The research questions focused on how to formally and measurably define Green Urbanism within smart cities to develop a model that allows cities to assess their green initiatives in relation to broader smart city goals like sustainability, quality of life, and equity.

Lezzerini utilized an interdisciplinary approach combining urban planning, architecture, and software engineering principles. The “Essence 1.2” standard, traditionally used in software engineering, has been adapted to describe the green dimension of smart cities. This method allows for a common language between technical and environmental aspects of city development, using measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) from international standards to track progress. This approach enables an ongoing assessment of how well a city integrates green principles into its development.

One of the core issues in developing smart cities is defining and measuring their “green” dimension. The example of Songdo in Korea illustrates how urban projects that claim to be green might, in reality, compromise environmental assets like wetlands. This highlights the need for a balance between urban development and nature. The challenge is not just preserving green spaces but incorporating green principles into every aspect of city planning.

A flexible framework is essential to accommodate diverse stakeholders—citizens, businesses, and governments—each of whom may have different priorities when it comes to green urbanism. The research emphasizes that cities are not built solely for economic gain but to serve the needs of these stakeholders, with sustainability, liveability, and resilience at the core.

To bridge the gap between environmental concerns and smart city development, the research employed the Essence 1.2 standard as a foundational tool. This software engineering standard is adapted to describe the stages of green development within a smart city, creating a formal model that tracks progress over time. The framework integrates the principles of Green Urbanism into a smart city context, allowing for the evaluation of a city’s green initiatives through measurable milestones.

The Essence 1.2 standard works by breaking down complex urban systems into manageable elements, called “alphas.” Each alpha represents a stage in the city’s green development, from initial planning to full implementation. By mapping these alphas to key performance indicators (KPIs), cities can track their progress in achieving sustainability goals. For instance, cultural heritage preservation is one alpha that can be tracked through its contribution to overall quality of life. The framework allows cities to see how their green initiatives impact broader outcomes like liveability and resilience.

This approach connects the theoretical model of Green Urbanism with the practical realities of smart city development. By translating abstract concepts like “green urbanism” into measurable steps, the Essence 1.2 standard provides a roadmap for cities to follow. The research emphasizes the importance of a flexible framework that can adapt to different city contexts, ensuring that the model can be applied to various smart city projects around the world. This adaptability makes the framework a valuable tool for urban planners seeking to balance technological advancement with environmental preservation.

By utilizing the Essence 1.2 standard, cities can measure their progress toward sustainability in a structured, step-by-step process. This model not only offers a way to evaluate the environmental impact of smart cities but also provides a practical methodology for planning future green initiatives. The model’s strength lies in its ability to bridge the gap between urban planning, environmental preservation, and technological development. By creating a shared language between these disciplines, the research offers cities a holistic approach to becoming greener. The framework is adaptable to different urban contexts, making it a valuable tool for cities at various stages of their smart city journey.

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What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Do you have any follow up question? Let me know on Twitter at WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the transcripts and show notes are available! Additionally, I will highly appreciate if you consider subscribing to the podcast or on the website. I hope this was an interesting paper for you as well, and thanks for tuning in!

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Finally, as the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:

1. Green Urbanism in smart cities integrates sustainability, liveability, and environmental preservation but is difficult to measure.
2. The Essence 1.2 standard is adapted to create a formal model for tracking and evaluating the green dimension of smart cities through measurable KPIs.
3. Balancing urban development with natural resource conservation requires a flexible, interdisciplinary framework that includes all stakeholders.

Additionally, it would be great to talk about the following questions:

1. Can a city be considered truly “green” if its development initially destroys natural habitats like wetlands?
2. In what ways might future technology help us more accurately measure a city’s environmental impact?
3. How can we better balance urban development with the preservation of natural ecosystems in rapidly growing smart cities?
4. What role should local communities play in shaping the green initiatives of smart cities?

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