Move, interact, transact – the human dimension of Smart Cities
Speaking at the invitation of the organisers of the British Business Summit, Istanbul, Turkey.
“My talk is about the behaviour of people in smart cities and the importance that should be given to well-designed public spaces, pedestrian links and cycling networks.
My keyword is “transaction” – that the Smart City is a place that enhances the ability of people to trade both socially and economically. We have historically not been good at analysing and forecasting the movement of people in the fine-grain of the city and, because of this, we have designed too much for the car and too little for the important face-to-face contact that only happens when people become pedestrians.
As a result, our cities have become congested with vehicles with negative consequences for social economic and environmental impacts.
I will show examples from London and around the world where a new, technology-driven approach has been taken to design public spaces and pedestrian connections such as Trafalgar Square and the Millennium Footbridge. I will end by showing new technology for analysing and designing cycle networks.”
The power of the network 