Creative, intelligent, sustainable and integral. These are the Cities of the future. Cities that integrate technological components utilising the infinite potential of smartphones and that facilitate an interactive dialogue directly with people.

Cities that are Green, judicious in resource consumption, that recycle and that incentivise policies of awareness by individuals. Cities that offer services for all, an efficient system of public transportation, open spaces and infrastructure for children and the elderly, and for free time. Cities where culture and sport offer opportunities for communal activity.

The definitions of cities that look to the future are multiplying: smart city, city 2.0, creative city etc. The images that describe these visions are endless: from condominiums and urban gardens, to vertical farms, electric vehicles that are recharged by energy saved domestically, the conversion of derelict and disused areas, and the emergence of informal spaces to experiment with co-working initiatives.

Summer 2016 will be remembered as the summer of Pokémon Go – the app that has gripped children and adults alike creating a kind of parallel geography. The game became an eye opener for those who can take advantage of geolocation for opportunities to study, for business ideas, and for project developments related to planning and urban living.

There are plenty of initiatives that marry the ideas of ‘smart’ and ‘green’ as is evidenced in Amsterdam, Netherlands. There, a system rewarding those who respect the environment has been installed: when pollution decreases, a hanging device on trees called TreeWifi lights up green and, by means of a router that complements the device, provides free Wi-Fi to passers-by.

Thanks to Paola Pierotti, PPAN