Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward
The advent of smart and digital cities is bringing data to the forefront as a critical resource for addressing the multifaceted transitions faced by African cities from rapid urbanization to the climate crisis. However, this commentary highlights the formidable considerations that must be addressed...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Data & Policy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000117/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797263416190042112 |
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| author | Ernest Agyemang Brilé Anderson Jorge Patiño Marie Tremolieres |
| author_facet | Ernest Agyemang Brilé Anderson Jorge Patiño Marie Tremolieres |
| author_sort | Ernest Agyemang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The advent of smart and digital cities is bringing data to the forefront as a critical resource for addressing the multifaceted transitions faced by African cities from rapid urbanization to the climate crisis. However, this commentary highlights the formidable considerations that must be addressed to realize the potential of data-driven urban planning and management. We argue that data should be viewed as a tool, not a panacea, drawing from our experience in modeling and mapping the accessibility of transport systems in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. We identify five key considerations, including data choice, imperfections, resource intensity, validation, and data market dynamics, and propose three actionable points for progress: local data sharing, centralized repositories, and capacity-building. While our focus is on Kumasi and Accra, the considerations discussed are relevant to cities across the African continent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:12:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-acb199e8377f4cdcb4e422892bd6f72a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2632-3249 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:12:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Data & Policy |
| spelling | doaj.art-acb199e8377f4cdcb4e422892bd6f72a2024-03-13T09:48:20ZengCambridge University PressData & Policy2632-32492024-01-01610.1017/dap.2024.11Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forwardErnest Agyemang0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3254-4611Brilé Anderson1https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0343-8134Jorge Patiño2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9767-7522Marie Tremolieres3Department of Geography & Resource Development, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Accra, GhanaOECD Sahel and West Africa Club, Paris, FranceOECD Sahel and West Africa Club, Paris, FranceOECD Sahel and West Africa Club, Paris, FranceThe advent of smart and digital cities is bringing data to the forefront as a critical resource for addressing the multifaceted transitions faced by African cities from rapid urbanization to the climate crisis. However, this commentary highlights the formidable considerations that must be addressed to realize the potential of data-driven urban planning and management. We argue that data should be viewed as a tool, not a panacea, drawing from our experience in modeling and mapping the accessibility of transport systems in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. We identify five key considerations, including data choice, imperfections, resource intensity, validation, and data market dynamics, and propose three actionable points for progress: local data sharing, centralized repositories, and capacity-building. While our focus is on Kumasi and Accra, the considerations discussed are relevant to cities across the African continent.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000117/type/journal_articleAfrican citiesdata sharingGhanainnovation imperativesmart citiesurbanization |
| spellingShingle | Ernest Agyemang Brilé Anderson Jorge Patiño Marie Tremolieres Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward Data & Policy African cities data sharing Ghana innovation imperative smart cities urbanization |
| title | Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward |
| title_full | Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward |
| title_fullStr | Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward |
| title_short | Toward achieving smart cities in Africa: challenges to data use and the way forward |
| title_sort | toward achieving smart cities in africa challenges to data use and the way forward |
| topic | African cities data sharing Ghana innovation imperative smart cities urbanization |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000117/type/journal_article |
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