I live in Queensland, Australia and Smart Cities is a fairly hot topic over here right now. A number of Smart City plans are being developed for several of the cities along the coast of Queensland. They include Townsville and the Sunshine Coast.
Unfortunately at the moment, Smart City plans and 'City Deal' plans are being used as money grab opportunities for infrastructure that claims to be more integrated than it actually will be (empty promises from politicians trying to wow people into voting for them)
I have a number of concerns around Smart Cities in regards to privacy issues and over surveillance. This is a topic for another post.
Thanks for the information you have put out here @fredrikaa.
Yes this is a real danger. Sometimes it stems from greed, sometimes from pure ignorance. Politicians in local municipalities want to seem like they are "on the front" supporting innovative developments and creating the future for their regions! I mean what could be wrong with that?! But then again, they really have no idea about the technology, so how can they possibly distinguish between all the different applications for new IT project to help make the city "smart"? Some are sure to be legit, others just a grab for money as you say...
It's easy with buzzwords to able to sell a lemon-product if you just hide it beneath promises that the ignorant customer has come to believe in...
But I agree with everything you've said, which is why I think starting off with conferences like these that invites the public to a transparent arena where they can question projects and those who are pushing them is a good idea.