The Morning Briefing: Smart cities

"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about smart cities.

1.) What exactly is a smart city? Before you start pushing for smarter cities, it helps to know exactly what you're advocating for.

2.) 'Smart city' planning needs the right balance. The idea is that by harvesting the incredible amount of data "exhaust" that every one of us generates as we traverse a city, planners can optimize services in the city to make them more efficient, cleaner and cheaper. But there is a fear that such top-down programs may threaten the very vitality that attracts people to cities in the first place.

3.) The intelligence on smart cities. There is a huge and diverse market for ICT-based smart city initiatives and a wide range of solutions are mushrooming around the world. This trend is general as modernization is a common obligation for cities dealing with complex issues such as population growth, climate change, and resource limitations.

4.) Smart cities team up on energy research. China is emerging as Newcastle's major research partner in the $100 million dollar "Smart Grid, Smart City" project. In the latest phase of the project, Energy Australia is inviting Hunter households to join a trial of energy saving products, with the promise of rebates on their power bills.

5.) Globalization to digitization: How to finance smart cities. The good news is that technology is helping us toward having more efficient cities, but we have a long way to go.

Image credit: Arturo Donate

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com