The main objective of an intelligent city is not to turn the city into a vigilant and oppressive "Big Brother"; instead, it is to manage all aspects of the city more efficiently, with the aim of reducing costs, optimising processes and, in the case of LEAs, guaranteeing more agile and effective security for citizens. In order for a smart city to achieve these objectives it is necessary for the system to be directly integrated into the city's critical infrastructure. Examples include energy, telecommunications, health and public protection services, as well as emergency managers. The problem is that the more interconnection exists between them, the more vulnerabilities they may have. There are many benefits of turning a city into a smart one and integrating it with police services. For instance, one of the situations in which S4ALLCITIES will test the solutions will consist of attending emergencies at crowded events, creating SMART SPACES; people gatherings are a challenge in terms of security, as the police forces are minimal compared to the number of people gathered. Smart technologies will help us to deter, prevent, protect, pursue and respond effectively to any criminal action that might take place, from the slightest to a, for example, terrorist action. Achieving the greatest possible protection of people through increased security is the ultimate goal of the union between the police and the services of a smart city. A key part of this objective, which we must not lose sight of, is that we have to strike a balance between protecting citizens and their privacy rights. It is therefore not an easy task for public institutions. For this reason, specialisation and an exclusive dedication of resources are essential for the establishment of the elements that make a city a smart one. In València, for example, there is the Smart City Office, created in 2018 as an independent municipal service. Thanks to it, València is already a benchmark as a smart and sustainable city. We are one of the first three cities in the world to be double certified in the measurement of progress by the SDGs and active in various international forums that work to make technology an ally for sustainability, well-being and people's quality of life. We digitize the present to improve the València of the future.
S4ALLCITIES will enable a more effective integration of solutions and a cluster of expertise between our Smart Cities office, PLV and the project consortium. It will also make possible to achieve common objectives with our municipality, such as a more connected city, "Smart citizens" and the development of intelligent implementation strategies.
Join us during the next 2 years to see what S4ALLCITIES can do for our cities!