FOR DISCUSSION ONLY
WORKING PAPER 2
ANCHORING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART
COMMUNITY
Prepared by:
Michael A. Rostek, CD, PhD
Program Director, UOIT Futures Forum
FUTURES FORUM
FOR DISCUSSION ONLY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
A COMMUNITY EMPHASIS ..................................................................................................................................... 5
IS IT JUST DATA? .................................................................................................................................................... 6
A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ......................................................................... 9
EMBRACING CHANGE – DURHAM REGION AND UOIT.......................................................................................... 10
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
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INTRODUCTION
The complexity and uncertainty of today’s global environment has created a bewildering array of
interactions and interdependencies across all societal sectors. While many believe that modern
communication and information technology reduces uncertainty and complexity, paradoxically,
the “…real effect is the opposite: information overload leads to a “poverty of attention”1 that
complicates the process of filtering out the critical signals from the distracting noise.”2 Past
methods for examining and understating this environment have proven to be ineffective in this
fast-moving environment and all sector leaders are now required to systematically assess their
environment “…in order to reduce surprises, to increase the room for manoeuvre, and to improve
the overall flexibility of governance.”3
Systematic assessment of the environment reveals that urbanization4 “…will be one of the most
significant dynamics affecting the future, presenting both opportunities and risks.”5 Urbanization
has been identified in several research areas as a global megatrend. “Global megatrends are not
short-term issues. They are projected to have relevance for at least 20 years, shaping the role of
governments into 2030 and beyond.”6 Today, approximately 54 percent of the global population
inhabit urban environments with a projected growth to 66 percent by 2050.7 While much of this
growth is projected to occur in Africa and Asia, the impact of this trend will also resonate within
Canada.
Urbanization is well advanced within Canada. Today, more that 81 percent of Canadians live in
urbanized areas with 86 percent of Ontarians living in urbanized areas.8 Further, approximately
two-thirds of Canada’s population growth is derived from immigration (migratory increases) and
indeed, this is considered a Canadian megatrend.9 Statistics Canada projection reveals that:
1
J.S. Nye, The Paradox of American Power, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002), 43.
Beat Habegger, “Strategic foresight in public policy: Reviewing experiences of the UK, Singapore, and the
Netherlands”, Futures 42 (2010) 49.
3
Ibid.
4
Urbanization – the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more people
begin living and working in central areas. Definition can be found at <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/urbanization>.
5
Jeremy Bentham, Vice President Business Environment, Head of Shell Scenarios, “Forward: New Lenses On
Future Cities”, (Singapore: Centre for Liveable Cities, 2014), 2.
6
KPMG International, “Future State 2030: The global megatrends shaping governments”, viewed 3 Feb 15
<http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/future-stategovernment/Documents/future-state-2030-v3.pdf>.
7
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, “World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision,
Highlights)”, (New York, United Nations, 2014), 1.
8
[HRSDC calculation based on Statistics Canada. Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2011 Census.
Available from: 2011 Census 11 Feb 15. http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=34.
9
Migratory increase - change in the size of a population owing to the difference between the number of migrants
who settle within a geographic area and the number of migrants who leave that same area during a given period.
2
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…immigration will not only continue to be a key driver of population growth in the
coming years—without it, Canada’s population growth could be close to zero in 20 years,
as the population continues to age and fertility rates projected to remain below the
replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.10
Immigration to Canada is considered an urban phenomenon with immigrant’s concentration
primarily in three cities: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Overall, today more than 91 percent
of immigrants settle in urban areas. Further, “[b]etween 2006 and 2011, census metropolitan
areas grew at a rate of 7.4 percent above the Canadian average of 5.9 percent.11 The impact of
urbanization is expected to continue well into the future.12
Sustainability issues – fiscal, social and environmental – loom large with rapid urbanization in
Canada. As the rural-urban divide grows larger, there does not appear to be a viable alternative to
urbanization as rural economies continue to decline proving inadequate to support current
populations let alone projected population growth forecasts.13 In addition to acknowledging
Canada’s current infrastructure deficit14, its cities “…have multiple systems for water, energy,
sewage disposal, transportation, security, building management – and frequently multiple
systems within each category – that are completely siloed and unable to communicate among the
systems to operate, plan, and build these highly complex urban environments.”15 The complex
intersection of urbanization, immigration, and aging Canadian urban infrastructure is creating a
potential crisis that will affect Canada’s prosperity well into the future if not addressed.
Statistics Canada, “Population growth: Migratory increase overtakes natural increase”, viewed 9 Feb 15 at
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2014001-eng.htm>.
10
Statistics Canada, “Population growth: Migratory increase overtakes natural increase”, viewed 9 Feb 15 at
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2014001-eng.htm>.
11
Jordan Press, “Canada Census 2011: The cities leading Canada’s population boom”, (Ottawa; Post Media News,
2012), viewed 29 Jun 15
<http://www.nationalpost.com/m/news/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/08/canada-census-2011see-which-cities-and-towns-have-grown-the-most>.
12
Adriana Allen, “Sustainable cities or sustainable urbanization?”, Palette, Journal of Sustainable Cities, University
College London, Summer 2009, viewed 29 Jun 15 <https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable-cities/results/gcscreports/allen.pdf>.
13
Statistics Canada forecasts a population growth of .9 percent between 2010 and 2060. Statistics Canada.
Projected population, by projection scenario, sex and age group as of July 1, Canada, provinces and territories,
annual (CANSIM Table 052-0005). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010, viewed 11 Feb 15 at
<http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=35>.
14
John Brodhead, Jesse Darling and Sean Mullin, “Crisis and Opportunity: Time for a National Infrastructure Plan for
Canada”, Canada 2020, viewed 29 Jun 15 http://canada2020.ca/crisis-opportunity-time-national-infrastructureplan-canada/.
15
Government of Canada, “Digital Canada 150: Smart Communities The Grand-Challenge Project to Launch the
Digital Economy: A Submission to Industry Canada's Digital Economy Strategy Consultation”, viewed 11 Feb 15
<https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/028.nsf/eng/00391.html>.
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A COMMUNITY EMPHASIS
The trends noted earlier arguably lead one to conclude that the focus of urbanization will be on
cities. Indeed, globally there are several future cities projects underway.16 The term city has two
generic forms:


Physical (urban area) - the physical expanse, or area of continuously built-up
urbanization. The urban area is generally observable on a clear night from a high flying
airplane. The urban area is simply the extension of urbanization;
Functional (metropolitan area) - the functional expanse, which is also the economic
expanse. The metropolitan area includes the built-up urban area and the economically
connected territory to the outside. The economic relationship is generally defined by
patterns of commuting to work into the urban area. Thus, metropolitan areas constitute
labor market areas.17
While there is little dispute that the trends discussed earlier are driving us towards two generic
forms of cities, it is generally accepted that the unprecedented urbanization on-going today
cannot proceed unchecked. As such, future healthy, sustainable, safe and environmentally
secure urban areas require “place-shaping - … ways in which local players collectively use their
influence, powers, creativity and abilities to create attractive, prosperous and safe communities,
places where people want to live, work and do business.”18 Communities, social units of varying
degrees and size that share common values, should be the focus of urbanization as it is the
residents of a community that give urban spaces their life and vitality and help it to gain its own
identity. Much more is known about the physical and environmental challenges of urban living,
however, there is a paucity of research and understanding about how to plan, design and develop
services and support that can help new residents come together, share common interests, and
agree on local priorities and work together to create a sense of community. As such, from
UOIT’s perspective, the future of the city is a “smart community” viewed as socially inclusive,
innovative, digitally enabled, and economically and culturally robust.19
16
Futures Cities Projects include: Shell Global – New Lens on Future Cities http://www.shell.com/global/futureenergy/scenarios/new-lens-scenarios.html; Audi – Urban Future Initiative http://audi-urban-future-initiative.com/;
Cisco – Connected Cities Initiative,
<http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/scc/09CS2326_SCC_BrochureForWest_r3_112409.pdf>;
MIT – City Science, <http://cities.media.mit.edu/about/cities>; IBM – Smarter Cities,
<http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_cities/overview/>; Berkeley – Smart Cities Research Centre,
<http://smartcities.berkeley.edu/>; and Canada Towards 2030 My City, <http://www.canada2030.ca/my-city2030/>.
17
Demographia, “Definition of Urban Terms”, viewed 11 Mar 15, < http://www.demographia.com/db-define.pdf>.
18
Future Communities, “Place Shaping” viewed 11 Mar 15 <http://www.futurecommunities.net/why/placeshaping-0>.
19
Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and University of Ontario Institute of Technology, “
Strategic Mandate Agreement: 2014-17”, (Toronto: Ontario Government, 2014): 10.
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IS IT JUST DATA?
Urbanization and immigration will place increasing pressure on the environment, resources and
services of municipalities. The mass movement of people to urban centres will demand smart
development: communities that are instrumented, integrated, and intelligent. Underpinning much
of “smart development” is the exponential rise of Information Communication Technologies
(ICT) with the ‘Internet of Everything” (IoE)20 being the most recent manifestation of this digital
revolution. This development is the foundation of the emergence of smart communities with a
variety of smart features, which can be categorized as either hard or soft domains.21 The correct
balance of hard and soft domains may vary from community to community on their path to
establishing a “smart” community. One such balance might foresee the following mix of hard
and soft domains: smart technology, smart energy, smart building, smart mobility, smart citizens,
smart governance, smart economy, and smart sustainability.22

Smart Technology. This involves identifying standardized frameworks needed to support
the integration of ICT services in smart communities. At the core of smart ICT is the smart
grid which will “…enable in-home conservation and demand management; distributed
generation and renewable energy; accommodate generation and storage options; enable new
products, services and markets; anticipate and respond to system disturbances in a self–
healing manner; and will aim to have resilience against physical and cyber-attacks and
natural disasters.” Smart ICT is designed to “…improve quality of life, efficiency of urban
operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present
and future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects.”
20
IoE: The Internet of Everything is the networked connection of people, process, data, and things. See Cisco’s
“Learn About the Internet of Things”, viewed 18 Mar 15 <http://ioeassessment.cisco.com/>. For a recent article
on the future of IoE, see Time Magazine, “The Next Big Thing for Tech: The Internet of Everything”, viewed 18 Mar
15 <http://time.com/539/the-next-big-thing-for-tech-the-internet-of-everything>. IoE as the “foundation” for
smart (sustainable) communities, see Ruthbea Yesner Clarke, “Smart Cities and the Internet of Everything:
The Foundation for Delivering Next-Generation Citizen Services”, (Alexandria: International Data Corporation,
2013): 5.
21
Hard Domains: characterized by the technological aspects of the smart community (i.e. mobility, building,
energy). Soft Domains: characterized by the more social aspects of the smart community (i.e. governance, citizens,
economy).
22
This list is not exhaustive and there are a wide variety of features that define a smart city. For more detail
explanation see Farnaz Mosannenzadeh, Daniele Vettorato, “Defining Smart City: A Conceptual Framework Based
on Keyword Analysis”, TeMA, Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Special Issue, June 2014 available at
<https://www.academia.edu/10359564/DEFINING_SMART_CITY_A_CONCEPTUAL_FRAMEWORK_BASED_ON_KEY
WORD_ANALYSIS>.
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
Smart Energy. Smart energy (fossil, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, geothermal) is the
intelligent integration of efficient distribution and optimized consumption systems. The
future of smart energy will depend on a conversion from today’s non-renewable resources to
tomorrow’s renewable energy resources. A smart energy ecosystem will consist of new
technologies and infrastructures which will allow for two-way communication between the
utility and its customers, and sensing within distribution mechanisms. For example, a smart
electricity grid “...will consist of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and
equipment working together…to respond digitally to our quickly changing electric
demand.”23

Smart Building. The notion of smart building is a key step in the progress towards a smart
community. The term smart building can be interpreted from an esoteric or a living systems
perspective, a telecommunications perspective or from simply a more advanced automation
perspective. Essentially, for UOIT’s purpose, smart building will “…deliver useful building
services that make occupants productive (e.g. illumination, thermal comfort, air quality,
physical security, sanitation, and many more) at the lowest cost and environmental impact
over the building lifecycle.”24 Smart buildings look beyond the building and equipment
within their four walls. They are connected and responsive to the smart power grid, and they
interact with building operators and occupants to empower them with new levels of visibility
and actionable information.

Smart Mobility. Urbanization and the rising level of vehicle congestion create the
conditions that demand smart mobility; the integration of environmental, energy, and
mobility issues within a community. Smart Mobility moves people and freight and includes
safe multi-modal travel, speed suitability, accessibility, management of the circulation
network, and efficient use of land.25 Traditionally, urban centres have developed around the
automobile with congestion emerging as a current and future concern. “In the United States,
congestion in urban areas results in annual costs of 4.2 billion hours of wasted time and
US$87 billion from wasted fuel and lost productivity.”26 Greater use of efficient public
transport reduces infrastructure maintenance costs, is less harmful to the environment, and
increases safety and quality of life.
23
U.S. Department of Energy, “What is the Smart Grid”, viewed 29 Jun 15
<https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid/smart_grid.html>.
24
World Resource Institute and Johnson Controls, Institute for Building Efficiency, “What is a Smart Building”,
viewed 29 Jun 15 <http://www.institutebe.com/smart-grid-smart-building/What-is-a-Smart-Building.aspx>.
25
Alyssa Begley, California Department of Transportation, “Smart Mobility Framework Plan Development and
Implementation”, viewed 29 Jun 15 < http://www.nistoproject.eu/index.php?id=1221&tx_nistodl_download%5Buid%5D=177&tx_nistodl_download%5Baction%5D=down
load&tx_nistodl_download%5Bcontroller%5D=Download&cHash=9279dd05495d99604b644a0e730ffc4d>.
26
Susanne Dirks, Constantin Gurdgiev and Mary Keeling, “Smarter cities for smarter growth”, (Somers: IBM Global
Services, 2010): 7. Available online at
<http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/global/files/gb__en_uk__cities__smarter_cities_for_smarter_growth.pdf>.
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
Smart Citizen. Smart citizens, including elected officials, city planners, policymakers,
citizens, business leaders, financiers and public-private partnerships, are the priority
stakeholders and the key driving force behind smart communities. Smart citizens are making
better informed choices, changing behaviours, undertaking more efficient practices and
smarter social norms. This development heralds a more proactive and participatory role in
daily life which has largely been underpinned by the evolution of the intranet. As citizens
turn smart, so too will their communities.

Smart Governance. Smart Governance is revolutionizing the delivery of public services
within a community and improving democratic processes. It is more inclusive and portends
“…greater efficiency, community leadership, mobile working and continuous improvement
through innovation.”27 Components of smart governance include e-government, the
efficiency agenda and mobile working.

Smart Economy. The economy is a principle driver of a smart community. The economic
outcomes of a smart community initiative are business creation, job creation, workforce
development, and improvement in productivity.28 A Smart Economy combines the
successful elements of the enterprise economy and the innovation or ‘ideas’ economy while
promoting a high-quality environment, improving energy security and promoting social
cohesion.29

Smart Sustainability. Living sustainably in communities is important today but will
become increasingly important for the future. Smart sustainability means providing a high
quality of life for all community residents (health and well-being) and also reducing the
wider environmental impact of urban development. Clean water, efficient energy, and
sustainable food, while reducing pollution and providing high quality environments for
citizens will become the clarion call for future urban development. Overshadowing the
sustainable community will be the sceptre of climate change with projected rise in sea levels,
unpredictable storms, floods and other dramatic weather-related events.
Smart communities have the capacity to transform Canada by creating new jobs, new
technologies, new services, and be both fiscally and environmentally sustainable in response to
the ongoing and future urbanization of Canada. They also have the potential to enhance
livability, workability, diversity, and perhaps most importantly, sustainability for all Canadians.
27
Smart Governance Network, “What is Smart Governance” viewed 18 Mar 15
<http://www.smartgovernance.net/>.
28
Understanding Smart Cities: An Integrative Framework, viewed 18 Feb 15 at
<http://ctg.albany.edu/publications/journals/hicss_2012_smartcities/hicss_2012_smartcities.pdf>.
29
‘Building Ireland’s Smart Economy: 2009-2014 viewed 18 Feb 15 at
<′https://dublincentralarts.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/what-is-the-smart-economy/>.
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This is the opportunity to rethink how we live, work, produce and consume and in doing so, set
our communities on course for a prosperous and sustainable future.
A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
It can be argued that UOIT may have a unique opportunity to move beyond the traditional
education model in developing a research framework around smart communities by adopting a
more holistic approach that bridges academia, government and industry in creating graduates
who understand the context within which they translate their ideas and follow through to
capabilities in the workplace. This new model is built around stakeholder cooperation and
collaboration and can be regarded as a comprehensive approach to smart community
development.
There has been a growing acknowledgement of the need to practice a more coordinated and
holistic approach to contemporary challenges, for example, smart communities. To this end, a
new form of collective action has emerged known as the comprehensive approach (CA). Such an
approach recognizes that the bounds of collective action often need to be extended beyond core
stakeholders traditionally associated with a complex challenge such as smart communities. For
example, reasonably well known and employed public-private partnerships represent a segment
within a comprehensive approach.30 Further evidence of a call for a more comprehensive
approach is articulated in the Government of Canada’s publication, “Seizing Canada’s Moment:
Moving Forward in Science Technology and Innovation 2014” where it is proclaimed that its
new strategy “…is a call to action for the players in the Canadian innovation system – whether
they be in the research community, the business community, or different levels of government –
to work together to achieve the goal of making Canada a scientifically and technologically
innovative nation capable of leading the world.”31 As noted by Shell Global in their leading
document “New Lens of Future Cities”, they articulate that “Tomorrow’s success will depend on
how quickly government, business and civil society improve their collaboration today.”32 Indeed,
there exists an opportunity for UOIT to play a key role in bringing the constituent players of a
30
Public-Private Partnership defined: “ A cooperative venture between the public and private sectors, built on the
expertise of each partner, that best meets clearly defined public needs through the appropriate allocation of
resources, risks and rewards. Public-private partnerships span a spectrum of models that progressively engage the
expertise or capital of the private sector. At one end, there is straight contracting out as an alternative to
traditionally delivered public services. At the other end, there are arrangements that are publicly administered but
within a framework that allows for private finance, design, building, operation and possibly temporary ownership
of an asset.” The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, viewed 22 Mar 15 at
<http://www.pppcouncil.ca/index.html>.
31
Government of Canada, “Seizing Canada’s Moment: Moving Forward in Science Technology and Innovation in
2014”, viewed 30 Mar 15 <https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/vwapj/Seizing_Moment_ST_I-Report-2014eng.pdf/$file/Seizing_Moment_ST_I-Report-2014-eng.pdf>.
32
Shell International BV, “New Lens on Future Cities”, (Singapore: Centre for Liveable Cities, 2014): 53. Available
on line at, < http://www.shell.com/global/future-energy/scenarios/new-lens-scenarios.html>.
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smart community together in support of building smarter communities within the Durham
Region.
Embracing Change – Durham Region and UOIT
Durham Region supports the development of smart communities. As articulated in the Durham
Regional Official Plan, the stated direction is to “…establish an Urban System of distinct Urban
Areas that are adaptable and able to evolve into healthy and complete sustainable communities
that balance growth in population, with growth in employment.”33 More specifically, the goals of
the plan are as follows:
 to manage growth so that it occurs in an orderly fashion;
 to live in harmony with the natural environment and heritage of the Region;
 to develop the Region to its economic potential and increase job opportunities for its
residents;
 to establish a wide range of housing opportunities in Urban Areas commensurate with the
social and economic needs of present and future residents;
 to create healthy and complete, sustainable communities within livable urban
environments for the enjoyment of present and future residents;
 to provide opportunities for a variety of cultural, health and community services; and
 to manage the resources in the Region in an orderly, efficient and responsible manner.34
However, while evidence does exist of “smart” programs within each of the cities and townships
of Durham Region, there does not appear any focussed research and/or development on the topic
of smart communities in an inclusive or holistic form. Based on the megatrends noted earlier, it
is perhaps prudent to investigate the development of smart communities at the Regional level
building upon what already appears to be a supportive framework in the Durham Regional Plan.
It is suggested here that UOIT has the capacity to establish the foundation or anchor for
researching and developing smart communities due to its already well-established research
priority of sustainable and healthy communities.
CONCLUSION
The world today is represented by deep and wide complexity and uncertainty which demands
systematic analysis in order to prevent surprises and foster sustainable development across a
variety of sectors. Urbanization has emerged as a global mega-trend which will see 66 percent
33
The Regional Municipality of Durham, “Durham Region Official Plan”, (Whitby: Department of Planning and
Economic Development, 2013): 12-13.
34
Ibid: 1.
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of our population living in urban areas by 2050. Indeed, within Canada, 81 percent of the
population lives in an urban environment and this is expected to increase in the coming decades.
This urban growth trend is further reinforced within Canada by our increased reliance on
immigration for sustained population growth. The majority of immigrants typically seek urban
environments thereby reinforcing an already growing trend and necessitating a focus on urban
areas for future sustainability. The mass movement of people to urban centres will tax the
traditionally siloed urban systems thereby demanding smart development; development that is
instrumented, integrated, and intelligent underpinned by the exponential rise of Information
Communication Technologies (ICT) and the ‘Internet of Everything” (IoE).
No two urban areas are alike and smart development will require a blend of both hard and soft
domains unique to its environment. The Durham Region, a classified “rurban” area with its
cities and townships, represents a unique environment where smart development is only
beginning to emerge. UOIT, Durham Region’s largest university, which harnesses capabilities in
education, research, process and design, is academically positioned to anchor smart community
innovation and development with its focus on developing smart communities that are socially
inclusive, innovative, digitally enabled, and economically and culturally robust. As an agent for
change, UOIT can help realize the greatest possibilities of the Durham Region; however, work
must begin today in a cooperative and collaborative manner if we are to realize our smart
community vision of tomorrow.
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