Major approaches towards understanding smart cities concept

Abstract

The concept of “Smart city” which has become popular nowadays has no unambiguous interpretation. There is still no clear understanding of the meaning of this phenomenon, of its main characteristics and conditions necessary for its realization. According to one approach, the city can be determined as smart if it is fully equipped with information and communication technologies and rendering e-services to population. While another emphasize on complex city development, and consider the presence of ubiquitous information and communication technologies just as an instrument of harmonizing city development. Modern smart city should not only be technologically developed but it should also provide a new better quality of life and create more opportunities for the harmonious life and development for its citizens. “Smart city” can become an effective instrument of turning the economy to intensive and sustainable, and become a possible solution of a conflict between artificial and natural habitat only with this approach. In that sense “smart city” is the only possibility of the future existence in the technologic society.