This week on the What is the future for cities? podcast, two episodes explored the human side of smart cities and how they can adapt over time. Tuesday’s research episode summarised the 2021 article “What do people want in a smart city? Exploring the stakeholders’ opinions, priorities and perceived barriers in a medium-sized city in the United States” by Cristina Del-Real, Chandra Ward, and Mina Sartipi. It focused on diverse voices in Chattanooga, Tennessee, revealing what residents, officials, and others seek from urban tech. This led into Thursday’s interview with Dr Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress and Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, who discussed proactive management, digital tools, and partnerships for evolving cities.

These discussions come at a time when urban areas face rapid changes, from growing populations to tech advancements like AI and connected vehicles. The research highlighted a bottom-up approach, gathering views through participatory budgeting, focus groups, and interviews to prioritise quality of life over gadgets. Dr Sartipi’s insights built on this by emphasising data-driven evolution, resilience through learning, and collaborations to make cities responsive. Her perspective on smart cities as proactive systems – using tools like digital twins to predict and adapt – complemented the stakeholders’ calls for practical solutions.

From these episodes, five key lessons stand out on how cities can integrate community input with forward-thinking tech for better urban futures.

Lesson 1: Community priorities focus on quality of life and practical outcomes over high-tech features.

The research episode showed that in Chattanooga, stakeholders envision smart cities as tools for better living, not just innovation hubs. Across groups – citizens, officials, businesses, nonprofits, and academics – the emphasis was on enhancing daily experiences and environmental health. Technology was seen as a means, not the end, with one citizen noting that streamlining existing processes often beats adding complex systems to flawed ones. This community-centred view called for responsive designs addressing diverse needs, like accessible education and smoother communication.

Dr Sartipi echoed this in her interview, defining smart cities as proactive environments leveraging data to improve life for all. She stressed observing urban issues through tech to spot bottlenecks early, aligning with stakeholders’ preference for “appropriate technology” that fits real problems. For instance, both episodes highlighted mobility as a top concern: stakeholders wanted efficient public transport with real-time info, while Dr Sartipi discussed connected vehicles for safer, more efficient flows. This lesson highlights that urban progress starts with understanding what people value, ensuring tech serves human and environmental goals without overwhelming simplicity.

Lesson 2: Transparency and data privacy are essential for building trust in smart city initiatives.

Stakeholders in the research stressed openness as key to acceptance, with clear explanations of plans, data collection, and tech workings enabling informed participation and critique. This built confidence, especially in tools like predictive systems, where privacy concerns arose from past misuses. Government and nonprofit voices noted that without visibility into processes, support wanes, looping back to the need for managing expectations on potential issues.

Dr Sartipi reinforced this by highlighting privacy as a top concern in data-driven solutions, alongside security against cyber risks. She advocated turning raw data into insights responsibly, with civic engagement from the start to respect boundaries and foster adoption. Both episodes addressed surveillance fears in safety tech, with Dr Sartipi noting data use to avoid divides. Her work on real-world deployments showed how transparency in partnerships ensures accountable tech, making cities responsive. This lesson emphasises early openness to mitigate risks, turning potential barriers into foundations for reliable, adaptive urban systems.

Lesson 3: Mobility and energy lead priorities, with a push for proactive, integrated solutions.

Stakeholders ranked mobility highest, seeking efficient public options like real-time bus tracking. Energy followed, tied to conservation and reliable grids for other systems. Healthcare leaned toward remote access, while water quality monitoring drew budget shares. Public safety lagged due to trust issues, though some saw it as foundational if addressing root causes.

Dr Sartipi expanded this to future mobility, advocating EVs for climate benefits and connected AVs for safety/efficiency gains. She noted infrastructure needs, like charging networks, and mindset shifts for adoption. Her proactive stance – using AI for predictive analytics to prevent issues – mirrored stakeholders’ desire for data-driven resource management, like optimising public spaces. Both highlighted non-tech ideas, such as bike lanes, showing smartness often means practical planning. This lesson points to focusing on interconnected areas like transport and energy, using tech to anticipate needs for more resilient urban flows.

Lesson 4: Barriers like funding, buy-in, and politics must be addressed through collaboration.

The research identified funding as a top hurdle, with limited budgets forcing tough choices and fears of diverting from essentials. Public buy-in suffered from lack of understanding or trust, especially in privacy-invasive tech. Politics involved lobbying influences potentially blocking projects, like affordable housing or transit.

Dr Sartipi proposed public-private-academic partnerships to overcome these, deploying research in real-world settings for impact. She stressed engaging locals early to build adoption, aligning with stakeholders’ call for transparency to manage expectations. Her work on adaptive traffic controllers exemplified breaking silos for scalable solutions. Both episodes noted inequality risks if not careful, with Dr Sartipi urging tech to avoid worsening divides. This lesson underscores collaborative models to navigate obstacles, turning barriers into opportunities for progress.

Lesson 5: Smart cities thrive on continuous learning and adaptation, blending tech with human insight.

Stakeholders rejected a tech-only focus, favouring balanced approaches with community input for ongoing relevance. Dr Sartipi viewed smart cities as evolving entities, using digital twins to simulate scenarios, predict events, and adjust in real-time. She differentiated data (raw numbers) from knowledge (actionable insights via experts and engagement), promoting proactive prevention over reaction.

Her anti-fragile lens – learning from shocks to improve – built on the research’s call for holistic safety. Both emphasised youth education for future workforces and partnerships for scale. Dr Sartipi’s AV/EV advocacy showed adaptation through mixed fleets and infrastructure upgrades. This lesson frames urban futures as dynamic processes, where tech enables learning but human collaboration ensures resilient evolution.

These episodes show smart cities succeed by centring people, integrating tech thoughtfully, and adapting continuously. Stakeholder input reveals practical priorities and ethics, while expert views like Dr Sartipi’s add proactive tools for resilience.

Together, they guide cities toward efficient futures, tackling immediate prevents issues but fosters environments that grow stronger from change.

If these ideas spark thoughts, check episodes 345 and 346 on your platform of choice for the full details. Subscribe to the What is the future for cities? podcast for more on urban trends, and drop a comment:

What smart city priority matters most in your area?

Next week we are investigating mid-sized cities’ economic power and role in the future of cities, with Nicholas Lalla!

---

Share your thoughts – I’m at wtf4cities@gmail.com or @WTF4Cities on Twitter/X.

Subscribe to the What is The Future for Cities? podcast for more insights, and let’s keep exploring what’s next for our cities.