Health and social problems are a matter of serious concern in several countries and India with big plans for development of smart cities must concentrate on social innovations, Mayor of Udine, Italy, Furio Honsell, has said. Addressing a programme on ‘Information technology: education, research and industry with emphasis on smart cities’ organised by Computer Science and Engineering Department of GITAM University under TEQUIP-II project, he said taking care of the problems of the ageing population, solving health inequalities, promoting healthy tourism, healthy lifestyles and encouraging self-employment were considered as social innovations.
Prof. Honsell, who is Vice-President of Italian WHO Healthy Cities Network, opined that smart cities must meet the challenges of each and every sector in society.
As Mayor of Udine, he introduced underground vehicle parking model, broadband connection cables through sewage channels using new cable materials, energy efficiency through roof-top solar panels and electric car and bike-sharing programmes to reduce carbon footprint to develop the city on smarter lines. Focus was also on elderly people to handle their day-to-day problems through social innovations. “Smart cities mean healthy cities which deal with the physical, mental and social well-being of its people,” he said.
Prof. Carlo Tasso of the Computer Science Engineering Department of the University of Udine spoke on the European Union’s dimensions for smart cities.
Smart devices
He said smart cities needed smart devices and intelligent software systems which automatically react to change in the environment but single, isolated technological initiatives were useless. He suggested combining of open data, big data analysis, cloud, artificial intelligence while using ICT in smart cities development.
GITAM University Vice-Chancellor G. Subrahmanyam was among others who participated.
Smart cities mean healthy cities which deal with physical mental and social well-being of its people
Furio Honsell
Mayor of Udine
