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• Environment;
• Health.

In this module we will focus exclusively on the environmental aspect.

Among the solutions that we can find in the city are various types of sensors and cameras. They
provide data which is then processed and based on this data we can program the operations we
want. An example of this would be sensors in sewage systems that check for leaks. When they
detect it, they automatically send a message to the engineers, shut down that part of the
infrasructure, so the reaction is very fast. A simple example of the use of sensors and IoT is, for
example, rubbish bins that tell you when they are full, so that organisations responsible for
keeping the city clean do not have to circulate among all the rubbish bins but can focus only on
emptying those that are full or those that have not been emptied for a long time. This allows
better work, saving time, energy (fuel) and reducing the environmental impact of the vehicle. It
also allows better planning of waste storage and disposal.

There are, of course, many such examples, all of them small steps towards improving the city, our
quality of life and reducing our impact on the environment.

2.3. What are Smart Cities and are they sustainable?

Smart Cities are a new concept based on the previously mentioned opportunities offered by
current technology. The aim of such Smart Cities (cities of the future) is to optimise various areas
of their functioning through technology and to increase the quality of life of their inhabitants.
There is no official definition of Smart Cities, but it can be considered that they determine it:
• An infrastructure based around technology;
• Environmental initiatives;
• Effective and highly functional public transportation;
• Confident and progressive city plans;
4
• People able to live and work within the city, using its resources .
Among the goals in line with the sustainable city agenda are those that use more efficient
energy consumption or the prevention of air pollution.

An important feature of these cities is the high use of technology to improve processes but also
to analyse data (Big Data) and, based on this, to make strategic and operational decisions. By
providing large amounts of data and analysing them, it is possible to find actual needs.

4 TWI. (N/D). WHAT IS A SMART CITY? – DEFINITION AND EXAMPLES. Retrieved from: https://www.twi-
global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-a-smart-city

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.