An Overview of Technology Trends Towards Smarter Cities

The chapter discusses the rise of technology usage in cities, and how the recent COVID-19 crisis provided an opportunity for technologists to meaningfully consider how their technologies could be useful in cities. We also provide an overview of current technology trends such as AI and robotics, Internet of Things, Intelligent Transport Systems, Automated Vehicles, City Platforms, as well as their applications to smart cities. The chapter provides an integrative overview of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) related to making cities smarter. Against the backdrop of the technology trends, this chapter positions the concept of the Automated City within current conceptualisations of the Smart City, including smart city standards and participatory and data-centric views of the smart city.