{"id":2238,"date":"2021-10-21T10:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T10:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/?p=2238"},"modified":"2025-09-04T07:33:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:33:00","slug":"green-and-smart-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fundacioncanal.com\/blog\/en\/green-and-smart-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Green and Smart Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Estimated reading time: 4 minutes) <\/em>\u2013 Audio version of article available<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate-change\nmitigation and resilience measures are especially important in cities. Firstly,\nbecause urban hubs generate 70% of carbon emissions caused by humans and\nconsume 65% of global energy use. Secondly, because it is predicted that\ncity-dwelling populations will grow 13% worldwide by 2050, and currently, over\nhalf of the world’s inhabitants live in cities (UN, 2018<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tackling this situation in advance, such that it does\nnot hinder compliance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by the\nUnited Nations as part of the Urban Agenda 2030 (UN,\nSeptember 2015)<\/a>, which stresses SDG 11 on cities, is a\npoint of discussion amongst all governments and at all levels: internationally,\nnationally, and locally. Also included in the discussion is the fact that it\nmust not impede climate change mitigation and adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This foreseeable urban development must occur in\nsustainable fashion, in all economic, social, and environmental terms. As\nstated by the UN, this is a challenge that must address housing, transport, and\nenergy, education and healthcare services, and employment, as well as a safe\nenvironment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the United Nations and the European\nUnion (European\nCommission<\/a>), domestically, a Spanish Urban Agenda\nhas also been designed. In line with UN and EU strategies, this is a strategic,\nnon-regulatory document that above all aims to provide a work method for all\npublic and private players who are involved in developing cities (Spanish\nUrban Agenda<\/a>). It sets forth 10 strategic goals and\nincludes development of 30 more specific goals, complete with a list of\npossible actions to reach them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This decalogue provides the following goals: regional\nplanning and rational land use and conservation and protection, preventing\nurban sprawl and revitalising existing cities, preventing and reducing the\nimpact of climate change and improving resilience, sustainably managing\nresources and boosting a circular economy, encouraging proximity and\nsustainable mobility, fomenting social cohesion and seeking fairness, boosting\nand encouraging an urban economy, guaranteeing access to housing, leading and\nfomenting digital innovation, and improving instruments for intervention and\ngovernance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of a green and smart city encapsulates the\nachievement of many of these goals, as acknowledged at the UN Conference on\nHousing and Sustainable Urban Development, known as Habitat III (UN, 2016<\/a>). This\nrefers to the application of Information and Communication Technologies to\nbetter manage a city, in order to optimise its citizens’ quality of life. This\nis called a “Smart City” or connected city. Using technologies like\nArtificial Intelligence leads to greater efficiency in both resources and energy\nexpenditure when implementing services like waste management, water use,\nhealthcare, and even traffic and air quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this is in conjunction with urban development that\nintegrates nature into the city; this is at the heart of all policies being\nimplemented for our cities of the future. The goal is to attain a healthier\nenvironment that leads to a feeling of greater well-being, improves air\nquality, and increases biodiversity. It also seeks to foment greater leisure\nspaces for people, all while helping to reduce the temperature increase caused\nby climate change and transport density in urban hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cities with greener spaces, sustainable mobility, and renewable energies (IRENA, May 2021<\/a>), and that are smart and connected, will save resources and create jobs and health, with greater resilience to healthcare, economic, social, and environmental consequences that may arise from climate change and pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n