Cities are under a lot of pressure.
Once upon a time it was perfectly acceptable for global metropolises and the buildings they comprised to stand stoic, solid and unassuming; inanimate collections of building materials clustered together to form a physical framework in which humans could exist.
Not any more. Now they need a brain.
From connectivity ratings and tablet-controlled automated desk assignment to WiFi-charged park benches and streets paved with kinetic energy tiles, the world’s leading global cities are battling to prove they are smart enough to keep up with an increasingly digitised population. And London is no exception.
The UK capital’s tech sector is worth £19bn, which makes it the largest in Europe. And we need an intelligent city infrastructure to match.
This issue of the EG London Investor Guide delves into the innovations and the investment fuelling the UK capital’s smart credentials, whether it’s the value of an emerging life sciences sector – see Richard Howard’s comment and our report on the Francis Crick institute – or the City of London Corporation’s grand plans for London’s digital transformation .
For anyone still in any doubt over the city’s claim to be a leading intelligent city of the future, find out more about the world’s first smart street, set to open this summer in the West End.
We also dispel five smart city myths, go on a whistle-stop tour of London’s five smartest buildings and consider why London’s future will be taller and techier than ever before.
Click here to download your copy of the London Investor Guide
