Rethink smart cities

File image of a city scape.

File image of a city scape.

Published Oct 6, 2015

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Cape Town - The concept and requirements of an energy smart city may need a rethink when it comes to the African continent, a representative from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) said on Tuesday.

“Maybe a smart city in Africa is about access to fundamental rights,” said Steven Bland from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.

Bland, a panelist at the International Renewable Energy Conference in South Africa (SAIREC)’s “Energy-Smart Cities” session, discussed adapting the concept to the continent.

One of the challenges Bland named as specific to Africa was the “urbanisation of poverty”. Urbanisation was happening rapidly but services expected in an urban area had not yet been met.

Bland said a key enabler of a smart city – whether in its traditional definition or in Africa – was political willingness.

“This comes down to an issue of governance,” said Bland.

“It comes down to who has the power to do what.”

He used the City of Cape Town as an example: “The City of Cape Town is trying to push the envelope. But it needs regulation and policy changes to meet its potential.”

Furthermore, said Bland, smart cities needed to be decentralised ones where access to renewable energy was quick.

AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY

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