Trends that will evolve in the smart cities in 2022.

As tremendous changes took place in the last year due to the pandemic, industry players share their predictions on how cities will evolve in 2022.

FREMONT, CA: Cities in 2021 had to adapt to enormous challenges. In addition to the ongoing and ever-changing COVID pandemic, leaders faced increasingly dangerous driving behavior, extreme weather events, tense political climates, and rising crime rates. Despite the many challenges of the previous year, some cities made advances toward becoming more sustainable and equitable places to live by piloting free public transportation, increasing investments in cycling and electric vehicle infrastructure, and continuing to help close the digital divide. Local leaders say they plan to keep focusing on those initiatives, as well as cybersecurity, infrastructure, and climate resiliency, in the coming year. 

By 2022, experts expect cities — which are now more tech-savvy than ever — to place a greater emphasis on using technology to improve equity for city residents, with a particular emphasis on bridging the digital divide that exists between Americans who have access to high-speed internet and those who do not. They predict data teams that have focused on outreach efforts to help residents understand the benefits of wearing masks and getting vaccinated to leverage what they have learned to create new outreach efforts to expand broadband access, broadband subsidies for low-income users, online literacy programmes, and other digital equity efforts.

Further, even when everything returns to how it was, it is clear that online shopping habits and demands for in-home delivery will continue to stay. Cities must implement technologies and policies to address the congestion and pollution issues brought on by increased commercial vehicle activity, or risk falling behind. From New York City to Omaha, cities of all sizes are beginning to investigate curb management solutions that will only grow in popularity throughout 2022. Moreover, cities will increasingly be at the forefront of the fight against climate change, with more audacious commitments from the city of Ithaca, New York, to decarbonize 100 percent of its buildings by 2030. To achieve these ambitious and vital goals, piecemeal actions must be ended and cities must adopt integrated and packaged solution sets with built-in financing.