In recent years, continuous disruption has moved from the exception to the norm, write Nicholas D. Evans and Gregory Sauter of engineering company WGI Inc and Ibrahim S. Odeh of Global Leaders in Construction Management at Columbia University in an article for the World Economic Forum. This disruption includes technology such as 3D printing, autonomous vehicles and digital twins, as well as business factors like pandemics, extreme weather events and climate change.
Smart cities are necessary in this context, write the authors, but “agility in the digital ecosystem is nothing if the city remains brittle in its physical infrastructure”. An adaptive city, on the other hand, can balance resilience and sustainability, as well as political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental conditions.
According to the authors, there are three key steps to build adaptive smart cities. The first is to establish a vision, including factors such as economic growth, sustainability and mobility. “Since the business goals for the city are continuously changing, the adaptive city will need to support dynamic optimization of the goals themselves,” writes the article.
The second step is to design for adaptability, including software such as cloud computing, smart contracts and platform business models, as well as modular construction, multi-functional design, and robotics and drones. One example is Qatar's shipping-container football stadium, which can be taken apart and reassembled after matches.
Finally, say the authors, smart adaptive cities must be built for “intrinsic agility”. This means considering digital and physical factors when building or renewing urban infrastructure. They mention microgrids that can react to shocks if part of the grid is damaged. “It's time to redefine the role of each asset from the buildings, roads, cars, and even the human role in the adaptive city,” conclude the authors.
