European transport sector interventions for smart city

Abstract

Digitalization, urbanization, and globalization are changing our world. They are significant drivers enabling cities to grow. We are now moving to a new era of smart cities, yet we know so little about the so-called smart city. In practice, we often hear cities label themselves as ‘smart’ as they utilize some type of information communication technology (ICT) solutions. By 2050, the population is forecast to be just under 10 billion people, with 80% of that population expected to be urbanized. Whilst there is wide agreement on exploiting technologies to improve citizen's quality of life, there are other challenges in association with urban growth, such as greenhouse gas emissions, pollution from transport, shortage of energy resources, and inadequate and deteriorating energy infrastructure. The recent announcement of no diesel car ban in cities is a way forward to address environmental challenges inherent in rapid growth. This paper presents the government's initiatives in Europe in supporting the evolution for future transport system.