A new issue of the magazine Smart Cities has been published

The driving force behind economic growth is innovation. In the concept of smart cities, innovations are the key to the necessary change, and city leadership is already facing demands for openness and the creation of a supportive environment. Innovation requires enthusiasm, a financially favorable environment, and support from the people around.
The new issue of the Smart Cities magazine (www.scmagazine.cz) is published on September 1, 2015, and is dedicated to innovative concepts. Articles about the Internet of Things provide an overview of the possibilities, obstacles, and threats of technologies already available today, including insights into the strategic approach to the entire concept from the perspective of the state (example from the United Kingdom). A well-developed concept in the spirit of Smart Cities is best illustrated by a smart bus stop, which is seen as a suitable place to improve communication between the city and its citizens and to enhance public transport for its users. Investment in a smart bus stop thus includes both modern methods of providing information about public transport and suitable technological equipment for measuring air quality, large display devices for delivering current information about the city, or for campaigns with social or cultural themes. Public transport is on the brink of transformation; with the arrival of autonomous electric vehicles (see the example from Milton Keynes), we will travel much more freely and according to our needs. The immediate and clear solution of services is the subject of an article on the economy of on-demand services, which is a concept close to the near future even in the Czech Republic. All these new trends must be taken into account when strategically planning cities, specifically, for example, when developing so-called Sustainable Mobility Plans. These are mandatory for cities with over 50,000 inhabitants, and for their successful preparation, it is necessary to use modern tools such as data from mobile networks, data from various applications (e.g., cycling navigation), or traffic surveys.
Another major theme of the current issue is the environment in the city. Articles featuring the concept of vertical farms on residential buildings as an artificial way to bring greenery into our streets or natural support for vegetation, including guidance for its management and maintenance, promote the much-needed return of nature to our cities. These cities are mostly overwhelmed by ubiquitous advertising that tires us out and makes us indifferent visitors. However, other developmental elements can also serve to revitalize cities: in the case of Krymská Street in Prague, it involves concentrated activities of creatives and artists who have completely transformed local lifestyles and dynamics; in the case of the Janáček Theatre in Brno, it features a relaxation zone with a water element that has become particularly popular this year in the hot weather.