April 26, 2022
Glynnis Tan/ Dr. Julia Nevarez
Kean University
tangly@kean.edu
In this
ever-changing world, we live in, technology plays a crucial role. Smart city
urban development seeks to bring solutions that center on data to address the
many urban challenges that cities face. The purpose of this presentation is to
understand how a university model is implemented in smart cities by exploring
the potential of Kean University’s involvement in transforming its home city,
Union Township, NJ into a smart city. A smart city is generally a
technologically advanced urban city that uses communication and informational
technologies platforms and infrastructure to increase operational efficiency.
The Internet of things (IoT) provides the infrastructure through sensors and
applications to collect data that is then analyzed to affect services. The
smart city urban development model has been sponsored by university
institutions – to a lesser or larger extent – based on urban innovations and
services that benefit from university knowledge and resources with governmental
agencies and different groups of stakeholders. Examples of smart city approach
to urban development in universities can be found in Rutgers University-Newark.
Rutgers University developed the Smart and Connected Newark project to enhance
Newark residents’ urban lives to foster social inclusion and equity by
integrating services offered by the city based on social science research in
collaboration with different higher education institutions. The services
included are street cleaning, citizen engagement, and bike and scooter share, among
others. Sustainability, quality of life issues, and initiatives to deter global
warming are some of the most common smart city applications. Building upon
integrative literature reviews of Smart Cities, the proposed presentation will
examine the role of the university as an anchor institution to facilitate the
growth of sustainable practices that impact urban challenges.
The city of Union
Township, NJ (Union) is the current home of the state-designated public urban
research university- Kean University. The university is positioned as a
state-wide leader in research and policy for underserved cities and urban
communities. Union may possibly benefit from the university’s efforts and make
improvements in areas such as city planning, industries, and integrative use of
versatile information, communication, and digital technologies. Essentially,
the presence of a quality management, education, research, and societal
collaboration with the University could improve the success factors of
transforming Union into a “Smart City.” (Anita & Jussila, 2018) Examining
an existing University’s “Smart City” project, Rutgers University created the
“Smart & Connected Newark” project, a three-year project (10/2020-09/2023)
focused on transforming the city of Newark, NJ to incorporate more Smart and
Inclusive Service Integration. Within Rutgers University’s Smart &
Connected Newark website, the project team summarizes “Smart city services are deeply
embedded in modern cities aiming to enhance various aspects of citizens'
lives.” (Smart Cities · Smart and Connected Newark Project, n.d.) This writing
indicates that implementing smart and inclusive services to the city of Newark
will make Newark a Smart City. Following Rutgers University’s project structure
may be a quick approach to evaluating Union’s potential in transforming into a
“Smart City”, however, there is a lack of conclusive consensus on how to define
and classify the new concept of “Smart Cities” as many leaders utilize the term
without meeting a particular standard. (Ben Letaifa, 2015) Therefore, this
study will utilize existing literature’s framework of Smart Cities as an
evaluation factor of Union’s potentiality to become a Smart City. Building upon
smart city literature and case study framework by examination of Kean
University’s contributions to urban city development, this research may further
clarify the importance and role of a University in Smart City development.
1. Laying down the framework of
Smart Cities
2. University Role and Contribution
to Urban Society
3. Comparison of Rutgers’ Smart and
Connected Newark Project to Kean University Initiatives
This study builds upon an extensive literature review of Smart Cities. Data collected from the literature will serve as a key framework for the indicators of a smart city. The transformation of a city into a smart city commonly centers on implementing technologies, however other economic and social diversity factors are at play that focus on the overall improvement of the city.
This study
examines how universities are essential. Universities produce smart people who
produce smart ideas and in turn produce smart cities. Universities have
multiple underlying factors which help provide the highly-skilled labor and
technological innovations necessary to drive growth and ensure competitiveness
(Drucker & Goldstein, 2007). There is recognition and advocacy for the
mutually-beneficial relationships universities and cities can forge around
local and regional development (Goddard, 2009; OECD, 2007; Rodin, 2005)
Research
Methodology: Comparison of Rutgers’ Smart and Connected Newark Project to Kean
University Initiatives
This study
compares Rutgers’ Smart and Connected Newark Project and Kean University’s
initiatives by showing which areas of their home city need development or what
is currently being done within the city.
The study shows how the area in which each city is in, is developing its
lifestyles to get a step closer to becoming a Smart City.
Conclusion
Smart Cities are
an emerging concept that typically involves progress among people and
technology for society. After examining Kean University’s contributions to
urban city development to Rutgers' Smart and Connected Newark Project, this
research further clarifies the importance and role of a University in Smart
City development. Kean University’s role
of a university as an anchor institution to facilitate the growth of
sustainable practices that impact urban challenges is evident. In conclusion, the
continuation of this development made by Kean University is essential to the transition
from an urban city to a Smart city.
Future Work
In the future, Kean
University will be implementing other initiatives to improve the lifestyles of the
inhabitants in Union, New Jersey. More research on the definition of a smart
city, the social science of urban city development, and institutional
improvement activities from Kean University is needed to completely categorize Union,
New Jersey as a Smart City. However, it is evident that Kean University plays a
key role in its development.
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