Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The technology supporting these systems can also be employed to influence
political decisions at all levels, including those concerning the urban environment
and thus uses and functions in cities, buildings, urban spaces, energy, waste, water,
living, etc. In this way, ideally the democratic process can be enhanced and public
services can better address the needs of citizens.
The objectives of this new communication system are the stimulation of ideas to
encourage and support the exchange of experiences and generate new methods of
working. A virtual network with an efficient and trim administrative structure, that
carries out the events management through opinions sharing and regular updates.
The digital revolution in politics called E-government (Profiti
2011
) is already
changing the way in which politics interacts with citizens and commercial entities
and the Smart Governance system puts a challenging and higher objective for our
administrators.
The real main actor of the process is however the citizen that has to lead the era
of urban transformation, and that is now able to express his opinion on any kind of
issue affecting his everyday life.
The ultimate goal of such technological evolution is that to turn the govern-
mental functions from an 'office-centric' working mode to a 'citizen-centric'
working mode.
E-Government is intended as the use of ICT in public administrations,
accompanied by a change in the organization and by the acquisition of new
competences from the employees, with the aim of improving the services offered
and supports the democratic process and welfare.
An efficient planning tool for the urban context and buildings must also account
for the communication infrastructure that puts in synergy multiple aspects of the
city and allows the coordination of the different functions.
ICT is thus the enabling technology through which privates, administrators and
business people meet influencing the administrative actions; in this way it is
possible to support the participation of citizens to the decision process, increasing
the sense of belonging of the individuals to the community.
1.3.2
Intelligent Urban Mobility
Our cities currently show a mobility system for people and goods that are not
sustainable; indeed many researches and analysis have evidenced that the common
use of the car generates congestion, pollution and high CO
2
emissions.
To limit these unfavourable effects of the use of car, it is required to change the
vision of cities, limiting the use of private cars, supporting the use of collective
means, the sharing of the service offered by cars instead of keeping the property for
single individuals, the use of bikes, the inter-modality of transportation services.
Also the technology for building cars is radically modified: small and light
vehicles with zero or reduced emissions.
