21st Century Cities

11/22/2007

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Digital”, “Creativity”, “Intelligence” and “Arts”?  You would probably think about high-tech robots from Japan or state-of-the-art computer games. Have you ever thought about them as important components in emerging cities?

Just this June 2007, the “21^st Century Cities” Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland, wherein our country was represented by the sole Eisenhower Fellow from the Philippines, Arch. Lea Ng of Ayala Land, Inc. Below, she shares her insights on the hottest development now sweeping the high tech cities of Europe, US, and Asia. These are issues we will find at the top of the wish lists of local city planners and property developers in the very near future.

Digital Trends in Global Cities

The conference in Dublin focused on current and future trends in cities around the world in the 21^st century. Topics on city trends ranged from the impact of technology, the importance of the “creative class”, challenges facing cities like Dublin, and the role of culture and arts to urban renewal. Dublin was an appropriate conference venue since the country experienced rapid economic growth in the past decade or so. Known as the `Celtic Tiger’, Ireland is now the world’s leading exporter of computer software, and is Europe’s fastest growing economy. Its shift in economic focus elevated Ireland’s agricultural and industrial economy to an information technology platform, attracting key I.T. players from overseas to do business on their shores.

While the concept of high-tech cities have been around for some time and has propelled places such as Bangalore, Silicon Valley, and Dubai to the top of the IT map, Digital Cities focus on how technology is utilized in the day-to-day operations of the metropolis. One of the emerging trends discussed by Martin Curley, the Director of IT Innovation of  Intel, was the rise of wireless cities in Europe, US and Asia, citing different applications of how technology has advanced areas of city governance and administration in terms of crime prevention, education, and the delivery of services.  As an example, he mentioned the Westminster’s West End in England, where Soho, the hub of night life and entertainment in London, is located.  With the influx of tourists, migrants, and workers, Westminster’s incidence of crime also increased.  So in 2002, the city council of Westminster piloted the Digital City, a project which would employ WiFi technology to make it easier to do business with the council, renew the infrastructure, deliver sustained improvements in education, and reduce incidence of crime.  For instance, to curb crime, Westminster has one of the most sophisticated CCTV (closed circuit television) camera systems, installed on streetlamps and facades of buildings along highly susceptible areas. Doing away with conventional hard-wired CCTV systems which take several months to install, Westminster adopted wireless CCTV systems using its Metropolitan-wide wireless network allowing the deployment, installation, relocation, or expansion of its monitoring system within 24 hours. The wireless system offers unprecedented flexibility and responsiveness.

Technology for the People

While the convenience offered by wireless networks is now evident to almost every laptop and smart phone user, even in developing cities such as Metro Manila, metropolitan-wide applications of wireless technology for purposes of public governance and administration appear to be the next steps in the technological evolution of cities.

Although the rise of digital cities and the broadening applications of technology undoubtedly provide unparalleled convenience for users, it likewise raises concerns regarding sustainability.  The close association of technological advancement with consumerism and consumption seems to be at odds with the growing interest in environmental preservation, social equity, and economic viability (the triple bottom line of sustainable development). Certainly, there is a need to bring state-of-the-art digital wireless technology in a developing society down to the level of a population that may not even have ready access to personal computers. We can probably start off with wireless communications systems that are ubiquitous in the Philippines—such as the cell phone networks.  While it may still take years for wi-fi digital cities in its truest form to be broadly adopted in Philippine cities, perhaps available systems can replicate the same convenience, allowing wireless communications to become not just tools of personal connectivity and productivity but also tools for delivering public services.

A key insight gained from the “21^st Century Cities” conference is not about the availability or the type of technology itself, but the level of inventiveness in how such technology is used to deliver an enhanced urban environment.  While we may be less advanced in technology, inventiveness is something that Filipinos have in abundance.  One only needs to recall how Filipinos have been able to use instant messaging as a mainstream form of communication long before it became common in 1^st world countries. Digital mobile phones became the standard mode of domestic telecommunication, long before conventional telephone landlines reached our remote provinces.  The availability of technology, coupled with necessity and Filipino adaptability, has allowed us to bypass the conventional evolutionary route.  Thus, it may be possible that in the not so distant future, our own version of a Digital City, using adapted systems of readily available, affordable, sustainable wireless networks, will serve the increasingly urban mass population of the Philippines beyond personal communication.  All it takes is a bit of inspired thinking.