Lizzie : Guys, we only have a week left to hand in our « Smart Cities » project and we haven’t even started !
Matt : You’re right. I’m really counting on this project to get a good grade because I failed my last test.
Lizzie : Yeah… so let’s get started ! First of all, what is a « Smart City » ?
Matt : Here’s an interesting fact : By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas.
Lizzie : Wow.
Simon : Cities in the future will be more more efficient and will provide a better quality of life for its inhabitants. Like a smart phone or a smart watch, everybody will be connected to their city.
Lizzie : For me, a smart city is like these cities you see in futuristic movies you know, with all the skyscrapers and motorways that go up to the sky !
Matt : As for me, it’s like a video game I used to play : Sim City.
Lizzie : You’re always talking about video games. Mind you I’ve heard of that one but I’ve never played it before.
Matt : You can create your own city, and even create cities of the future !
Simon : Maybe we could use it for our project ?
Lizzie : That’s a great idea ! It’s a totally different approach ! So what would we need to have to create a city of the future?
Simon : Well, with more people, there’s more traffic and congestion which will lead to pollution.
Lizzie : And with pollution, there’s climate change. So all these cities of the future will have to deal with this freak weather.
Matt : Energy will be a big issue. Smart buildings exist today with sensors so that when no one is in the room the light switches off. I think cities could use this on a bigger scale.
Lizzie : We have loads of ideas – it’s great ! So I think we should start by working on the introduction first, and then we could all head to Matt’s house and he could show us Sim City !
Matt : Sounds like a plan !