Interdisciplinary approaches to urban challenges

21st July 2017

Enaie Azambuja

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Cities have been around for thousands of years, so urbanisation is hardly a new phenomenon — but it’s happening now at an unprecedented pace. In 1950 about 30% of the world’s population lived in cities, a number that shot up to nearly 55% by 2016 and is expected to hit 60% by 2030, according to United Nations statistics. This dramatic growth brings challenges on a variety of fronts, transforming 'smart cities' from a catchy phrase into a critical endeavour.

Georgia Tech has been intensifying its smart cities initiative, including membership in the national MetroLab Network and the launch of a new faculty council with members from more than a dozen university units.

“Smart cities is a highly complex area, encompassing everything from resiliency and environmental sustainability to wellness and quality of life,” said Elizabeth Mynatt, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) and distinguished professor in the College of Computing, who is co-chairing the new council.

“Although Georgia Tech has been working in this area for some time, we’re organising research so we can be more holistic and have combined impact.”

“Instead of discrete projects, we’re moving into a programmatic approach,” agreed Jennifer Clark, associate professor of public policy and director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Urban Innovation.

“Smart cities research touches on everything from computing and engineering to the social sciences. It’s a different way of thinking about technology — not just in the private sector but also the public sector — so we make cities more efficient and economically competitive places.”

Author of an upcoming book on smart cities, Clark notes that metro areas generated nearly 91% of the U.S. gross national product in 2015. “Technology and economic growth are interlinked,” she said.

“Just like a world-class airport, you need a world-class IT infrastructure, and it has to be deployed in such a way that people can access it for their own economic activities, whether it’s large or small companies. We need a technological infrastructure that will work for the 21st-century economy and the centuries beyond.”