Editorial · Commentary
From Smart Technology to Smart Society
The next stage of urban technology should be judged by institutional capacity and public outcomes, not by the visibility of connected devices.
Read Editorial →Cities, systems, and the decisions shaped by data.
Smart City Dispatch · Perspective
Editorials
Independent analysis of the decisions, evidence, and trade-offs shaping smart cities and urban systems.
Editorial · Commentary
I, AI. Maybe.
Some years ago, I called my book I, AI (https://tinyurl.com/3w5bdjaz)—an intentional homage to Isaac Asimov’s famous I, Robot.
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Editorial · Commentary
When The Sidewalk Starts Delivering
What happens when your sidewalk stops being just for people?
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Editorial · Commentary
AI’s urban footprint is becoming a planning question
C40 reports that 49 cities representing more than 110 million people now back a pact for urban data centers designed around resource efficiency and community benefit.
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Editorial · Commentary
Urban robots need a place in the street plan
Street-level automation is easy to describe as a hardware problem. In practice, every vehicle or service robot needs a defined operating area, a clear relationship to people on foot, and an accountable operator.
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Editorial · Commentary
The Inevitable Rise of Smart Cities
Our cities may cover just a fraction of the Earth's surface, but they profoundly shape the way we live.
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Editorial · Commentary
When Does a Smart City Become a Surveillance City?
The line is crossed through purpose, power, and persistence—not by any single camera, sensor, or algorithm.
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Editorial · Commentary
Introducing the Post-Smart Society
After several years of teaching Smart City Engineering with IoT at Yale, I’ve noticed a subtle but crucial shift in the narrative.
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Editorial · Commentary
The Smart City Data Paradox
Cities need detailed data to improve services, yet the same collection can weaken trust, exclude residents, and make systems harder to govern.
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The Smart City Conundrum: Better Decisions, Not More Data
Smart-city arguments often begin with supply: sensors, open data, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and faster networks. The harder question is what those tools allow a city to do better—and for whom.
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