Explaining what is meant by a smart city is a rather complex operation, as there is currently no clear definition of the concept. An attempt to outline the characteristics of a smart city was made by the United Nations, which provided this definition in 2016:

 

“[smart city] makes use of opportunities from digitalization, clean energy and technologies, as well as innovative transport technologies, thus providing options for inhabitants to make more environmentally friendly choices and boost sustainable economic growth and enabling cities to improve their service delivery”

United Nations (2016), UN-Habitat & New Urban Agenda

The use of technologies in urban contexts could, therefore, be a resource to deal with the climate emergency as well. According to the data collected by the United Nations in the World's Cities in 2018 report, by 2050 two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities: this will determine a sustainability problem on several fronts, especially in the environmental sphere.

One of the most interesting topics to investigate to better understand what opportunities the transition towards smart urban and housing forms can offer us may be that related to electricity and, more specifically, to electricity consumption. 

In 2015, as many as 130 countries belonging to the UN signed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in which an action programme for people, planet and prosperity is adopted; the programme consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, i.e. seventeen targets through which sustainable development policies can be implemented. 

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Figure 1 - The seventeen sustainability goals

These include ensuring access for all to cheap, reliable, sustainable and modern energy systems (Goal 7): electricity has become essential for many of our daily activities, and the transition to clean forms of electricity represents a major social, economic and environmental opportunity; moreover, around 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are due to energy, which represents a huge threat to our planet and its survival.

Reaching the seventh objective means:

  • Ensuring access to modern, reliable and, above all, affordable energy services;
  • Increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption;
  • Doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030
  • Improve international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technologies, as well as promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy-related technologies;
  • Support least developed countries in the adoption of energy from non-polluting sources.

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Figura 2 - Objective 7/30

The European Union also adopts policies aimed at combating climate change, so much so that it has even set itself a particularly ambitious goal: to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Regarding the energy issue, the European Union promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.