Industry 4.0, Smart Cities, and Urban Transformation

Abstract

We are experiencing the effects of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) on our daily life to a greater extent everyday as getting involved in the digital technologies by using internet from different devices (e.g. smart phones, tablet PCs, smart watches). It is not only the people make use of these technologies, cities are also meeting with the advanced technologies and striving for providing better services to their habitants. Moreover, automation is getting widely used in technology-intense sectors as the digitization increases and the automation supersedes the labor force. This situation could destroy the economies of the countries, especially that are based on labor-intensive commodities and services. On the other hand, the adaptation and implementation of technological advancements is an important factor affecting the competitiveness of the cities. Smart city concept came in to the picture as a consequence of the fourth industrial revolution. The number of cities employing smart solutions has shown an increase in the past few years so that they can manage their resources more effectively and improve their service quality. It is inevitable now to imagine an urban transformation, no matter it is a renewal, redevelopment, etc., without making use of digital technologies.