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Saudi Arabia’s Neom project is part of a global trend of "smart city" initiatives, but these projects, driven by advanced technologies, present both opportunities for urban governance and sustainability and risks for repression through increased surveillance, raising geopolitical and ethical concerns. Middle East Program Smart Cities Middle East and North Africa Saudi Arabia Image Credit Shutterstock.com/choi yurim In 2017, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman launched an ambitious $500 billion project to develop “Neom,” a futuristic “megacity” that would cover 10,230 square miles in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. Although the project has faced recent budget cuts and setbacks, it remains a major feature of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” agenda to modernize its economy.
Saudi Arabia is not alone in its ambitions. Large-scale “smart city” projects have expanded across the globe—spreading across the Gulf, through the wider Middle East, and everywhere from India to Brazil. What’s more, many of these initiatives are fueled by the transfer and export of Chinese and other foreign technologies, indicating their potential as vehicles for geopolitical and economic influence while also raising human rights concerns. Their growth raises promise as well as perils for the future of urban governance around the world. A rising trend
So-called “ smart cities ” leverage digital technologies to re-design urban living and governance. Facilitated by artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and other tools and processes, smart cities aim to offer solutions to improve everything from service delivery to security, building maintenance, and beyond. Drawing on city-wide networks of connected devices and sensors, governments can leverage new and emerging technologies to analyze data and implement tools and programs with greater accuracy and efficiency than ever before.
These changes hold the potential to significantly transform societies, given the importance of cities for the global economy and the environment. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, some seven in ten people will live in cities. Currently home to 56% of the world’s population, cities generate an estimated 80% of global GDP. While many “smart city” development projects remain in the early stages, experts suggest they […]
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