Leaders’ Series: Ivo Cré, Deputy Director of Polis

What does the concept of a ‘smart city’ mean to you?

Polis members emphasise the importance of putting the citizen at the heart of the smart city process. Having looked at a series of definitions of what a smart city is, the one closest to our members’ views is the UK government’s definition: “A smart city should enable every citizen to engage with all services on offer, public as well as private, in a way best suited to his or her needs. It brings together hard infrastructure, social capital, including local skills and community institutions, and (digital) technologies to fuel sustainable economic development and provide an attractive environment for all.” This is much closer to the reality of cities than narrow definitions only referring to ICT solutions to address urban issues.