As early as the beginning of the 21st century, Europe began the practice of smart cities and achieved considerable results. A smart city is defined as using intelligent technology to help solve challenges encountered during the urbanization process, optimize resource consumption, and improve urban services. The UK government attaches great importance to building smart cities and developing related industries. Recently, the UK Minister of State for Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey, stated that the UK government will continue to promote smart city development, but will not be confined to a specific development model. Friends who immigrate to the UK will live in an environment where smart city development is increasingly mature and life is more convenient.
In an article written for a UK business website, Vaizey mentioned that the reason for supporting local governments in developing their own smart city solutions rather than setting unified specific standards is that the central government is continuously devolving power, and there are significant differences in local needs. He stated that the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to play an increasingly important role in future smart cities, as will data analytics, building information management, and the increased use of electronic devices.
Vaizey pointed out that a large number of successful projects have already been launched, including the Peterborough project. The city subsequently defeated Dubai and Buenos Aires at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona to win the City Award.
In the 2015 "Vibrant City" selection, a Manchester project won the IoT showcase competition. "Vibrant City" will test its applications in healthcare, transportation, energy and environment, culture, and community, and will also share business models with other cities.
Vaizey also revealed some future plans, such as the "Future of Cities" project by the UK Government Office for Science. This project focuses on UK urban planning up to the year 2065. In addition, the Future Cities Catapult has identified that there are over 32,000 businesses in the UK providing smart city solutions. The UK's professional architecture and urban design technologies have contributed 16 billion pounds and 400,000 jobs, and this figure is expected to continue to grow.