I do not think I am the only one who thinks that life in Smart cities is boring. Underprivileged citizens (most of us) are unable to break the monotony to which we are subjected in these macro moles of cement, steel, and glass. Our life takes on a scheduled basis on weekdays or weekends, on public holidays or during weekdays, with own vehicle or using public transport. No big surprises, we have used or accepted +10 hours daily work, three hours of daily traffic jams or uppercase jams when the siren sounds of the summer holidays.
A new summer has arrived, I no longer wonder if IoT could avoid strikes this holidays. I wonder if I can enjoy this year my holidays in the smart city I am living.
These days, I have time to run in the morning or evening, I do not need to eat out in 1 hour, or queue in theatres for shows. But have I made the right decision to stay? Will I not regret having chosen not to enjoy my square meter sand in the beach or hiking in the mountains, or share tapas with my relatives and childhood friends in town or travel exotic countries with my smartphone or a mix cultural and professional visiting Expo Milan 2015?
After I reviewed my post: Are Smart Cities also Smart in August? I decide to make a plan to ensure I will have fun in my smart city this summer.
The first test is a challenge: How can I disconnect from my smart phone. If I do not impulsively detox to connect to the Internet anywhere and on any device, I fear that my fun is to gloss over as fast as my two-week vacation. What I need is that my smart city does not allow me to connect to free-wifi during my holidays and my internet and telco service providers filter all my non urgent messages and calls during these 2 weeks.
The second test is if my smart city encourages me to get out there and offer me alternative ways to have fun without the need of be connected. Besides, my smart city will give me more confidence as a place of predictability and efficiency in public transportation. I do not expect a New Bus Network like in Barcelona, but a better public service that does not have me waiting 30 minutes and allow me to leave my car parked.
The third test is if my neighbourhood make me happy or sad. F*ck, my neighbours have not gone either this year. So I have to socialize with them after all? And if they keep being so loud until 2am, should I tell them? Should I call the local police? They are neighbours, and we are on vacation! Im starting to get nervous just thinking about it. Here, I miss the technology; some street noise sensors connected to the central police and my problems would have been over.
The fourth test is if my smart city may help me slow down, stress less, and be happy during my 2 weeks summer holidays. From New York City to Barcelona, cities across the world are turning to slow living to make their communities happier and healthier in the face of increasing urbanization.
How will I measure how happy I will be in my smart city this year? You will have to wait a year to discover.
Its time to start closing the post and start implementing the tests.
Happy summer holidays.
