Smart cities improve quality of life and reduce emissions

In the cities of the future, infrastructure and services must be more efficient, environmentally friendly and accessible to everyone. This will improve residents' quality of life, reduce the city's ecological footprint and help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

There is no simple definition of a smart city, but smart cities share a number of common features. Smart transport systems – also known as smart mobility – enable more people to get around faster. Smart buildings do not waste valuable energy. Smart healthcare services simplify and optimise patient registration, diagnosis and medication. And smart government makes it easier for residents to find information and influence decisions in their city.

Smart cities also make active use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and open data to optimise the flow of energy, people and data.

IoT refers to the network of physical objects that contain, for example, software or sensors that allow them to connect to the internet and to each other. These objects can then interact and exchange data, as well as be remotely controlled or automated. IoT solutions can also involve cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI).

Norway has a strong culture of innovation, extensive technological expertise and a public sector that uses stringent procurement requirements to promote new ideas and sustainability. We have also committed to creating smart cities through a national roadmap.

Here are some of the areas where Norway is leading the way.

Buildings account for around 40 per cent of global energy consumption. Smart IoT-based technology can dramatically improve energy efficiency in buildings. For example, sensors can collect the data needed to control lighting, heating and cooling automatically. They ensure that data is delivered exactly when and where it is needed.

Norway is a leader in deploying this technology at scale. For example, Statsbygg – which is responsible for all government-funded construction projects – is investing heavily in this area. This has opened up the market and made similar solutions more accessible to private-sector organisations. Norway is also making significant progress by setting strict energy-use requirements for new buildings.

In the private sector, the Powerhouse alliance is developing energy-positive buildings that generate more energy than they consume over their entire lifetime. Powerhouse and similar Norwegian companies have attracted significant international attention as pioneers of energy-positive architecture.

With around one million residents, Greater Oslo is an ideal testing ground for smart, green transport solutions. For example, Ruter has stated that all its modes of transport will be emission-free by 2028.

In Bergen – a city with a population of just over a quarter of a million – shared mobility is key. The city has opened several of its 10 planned mobility hubs. At the heart of each hub are permanent, reserved parking spaces for car-sharing vehicles, primarily electric. The mobility hubs are located close to public transport and ride-sharing stops, and offer secure bicycle parking, access to city bikes and electric vehicle chargers.

Meanwhile, Stavanger, with a population of just under 130,000, received the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's Mobility Award in 2019 and was also named Norway's smartest city.

Norway even has a public funding scheme – Pilot-T – that supports the development of innovative, export-ready smart mobility solutions.

Norway champions open data, and the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency (Digdir) maintains a national register of open data from the public sector.

The register contains data across many areas, including the environment, health, geography, agriculture, traffic and demographics, and is available for everyone to use. In the context of smart cities, car-sharing companies can, for example, use traffic data and data from the Norwegian Mapping Authority to assess demand for their services.

Access to such extensive open data makes it easier for entrepreneurs, innovators and others to identify challenges and opportunities and develop smart solutions for smart cities.

This article was first published on The Explorer.