For those who don\u2019t know, could you start off by telling us a little bit about your new book \u201cSmart Cities For Dummies\u201d<\/h3>\n
This is a book about people. At its heart, it\u2019s about improving the quality of life for urban communities all over the world. Though the popular term smart cities is used, this book focuses on the future of all cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To succeed at elevating the human condition for billions of people, cities need to adopt new ideas, new approaches, and new technologies for how they\u2019re operated and delivered. That\u2019s the definition of a smart city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Note, however, that this isn\u2019t a book primarily about technology, although technology does play a large role. Neither does the book suggest that cities need to create a surveillance society or erode privacy in order to succeed. At their core, smart cities aren\u2019t about sensors or algorithms or virtual town halls \u2014 they\u2019re about a better future for humanity. After all, to quote Shakespeare, \u201cWhat is the city but the people?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Earth is already a majority urban planet and it\u2019s estimated that, by midcentury, 70 percent of all humans will live in an urban area. Put another way, our human future belongs to cities. Most people will spend their days living, working, and playing in a metropolis. If we want to enjoy career opportunities, clean air and water, efficient transportation, low-cost energy, safety, convenient city services, and inclusion while all the time saving the planet from a climate crisis, we have a lot of city work ahead of us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The city is already the center of the human experience. It is the most complicated and successful of all inventions. Urban areas have lifted billions of people out of extreme poverty, and they continue to shape and define our future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The challenges ahead for cities aren\u2019t trivial. Cities have come a long way, but they have a long way to go. Building better and smarter cities may be the biggest challenge that humanity now faces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I wrote this book as the definitive reference guide for anyone who has an interest in creating safer and more prosperous communities. It\u2019s also for anyone who wants to understand the opportunities and challenges in the world\u2019s cities. When I discovered that cities would be central to our human future, I was compelled to become a part of positive change. I\u2019ve spent several years helping to build smarter communities and educate city leaders <\/span>on almost every continent. The realization that, done right, cities were capable of offering the best solutions for a better tomorrow was the moment my passion for cities emerged. This book is my attempt to share the city planning-and-development lessons and ideas I\u2019ve discovered and executed along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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