The New Pyramid of Needs for the Digital Citizen: A Transition towards Smart Human Cities

Abstract

This article analyzes the cultural transition towards postmodernity or a knowledge society and its impact on the changing needs of cities. This transition is characterized by a growing diversification of the use of technologies in most of the economic, political, educational, social, and cultural activities of different human groups. The concept of smart cities emerges, in which the roles and behaviors of citizens are redefined in physical spaces and in their interactions, as well as the function of institutions and interpersonal relationships. Emerging models of social and cultural behavior are required to analyze and systematize these realities, to understand how to increase effectiveness in action, and to rethink education and new ways of teaching and learning. All these processes are based on phenomena of innovation and management, mediated by technology. We proposed an analysis of the new digital skills of these individuals. The elements that shape the reformulation of roles and reference models, as well as an analysis of the postmodern cultural changes and the formation of a holistic, human-community-technology vision, are based on a new pyramid of training needs in which technologies are placed at the service of people's development, organizations, society, and culture.

On the sustainability of smart and smarter cities in the era of big data: an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary literature review

“…Angelidou [9] found that most smart city strategies are poorly adapted to accommodate the local needs of their area, fail to incorporate bottom-up approaches, and fall short in considering issues of privacy and security. In a recent work, Carrasco-Sáez et al [31] propose a new pyramid of needs for the digital citizens as a way of transitioning towards smart human cities or socially sustainable smart cities. Regardless, socio-economic factors affect the use of smart technologies, and to fully optimise their potential, such factors need to be addressed so that smart and smarter city technologies can play a part in contributing to sustainability.…”

Existing Knowledge Assets and Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Knowledge Embeddedness and Specificity

“…The technological revolution characterized by intelligence, greenness, and ubiquity is booming and profoundly affecting the environment in which we work and live [1]. For example, Green information technology can be deployed to support a variety of sustainability initiatives such as to measure carbon footprints, reduce waste in business processes, lower resource consumption, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions [2].…”

It’s Not a Fad: Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research in European and Global Contexts

“…Their paper, "The New Pyramid of Needs for the Digital Citizen: A Transition towards Smart Human Cities", examines how the cultural transition towards knowledge society impact citizens' expectations regarding what a given city should provide. The authors argue that this transition is characterized by a growing diversification of the use of technologies in most of the economic, political, educational, social, and cultural activities of different human groups [22].…”