Smart Cities need Smart Museums

Paper
Robert Stein, American Alliance of Musuems, USA

As the global population continues to grow, social, technical, and economic forces are driving an evolution in cities that seems primed to transform the way we live, work, and play. The concept of a Smart City has emerged as an idea that leverages the changes in urban growth together with a global technical infrastructure.

But what makes a Smart City a city that we would actually want to live in? In the past, our exuberance for technical advancement is as often to be met with disappointment as with promise. Can museums and cultural experiences play a part in ensuring that this emerging trend of Smart Cities doesn’t miss the learning and experiences of generations past in a rush to adopt and adapt to new technological realities?

Bibliography:
As the global population continues to grow, social, technical, and economic forces are driving an evolution in cities that seems primed to transform the way we live, work, and play. The concept of a Smart City has emerged as an idea that leverages the changes in urban growth together with a global technical infrastructure. But what makes a Smart City a city that we would actually want to live in? In the past, our exuberance for technical advancement is as often to be met with disappointment as with promise. Can museums and cultural experiences play a part in ensuring that this emerging trend of Smart Cities doesn’t miss the learning and experiences of generations past in a rush to adopt and adapt to new technological realities?