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The human capital challenge for the development of Smart Cities in Latin America
In this article , Daniel Yankelevich ,
Co-founder of Practia , a company bridging the gap between businesses and technology , discusses human capital ’ s impact on Smart City progression in the
Latin America region .
What image comes to mind when you think of Latin America ? You probably envision natural spaces , small towns , and not very urban places that are still relatively unpolluted . The reality , however , is quite different . Latin America ( LATAM ) is one of the most urbanised regions on the planet . Currently , 81.2 % of the population in LATAM lives in urban areas , and by 2050 , this number is projected to increase to 89 %.
LATAM , in fact , boasts the highest proportion of its population concentrated in megacities , defined as cities with more than 10 million inhabitants . According to the Institute for the
Development and Innovation in Smart Cities ( IDI ): ‘ this is an indication that the centre of gravity of the urban world is moving to developing countries .’
It comes as no surprise that LATAM cities are investing in infrastructure to become Smart Cities . Cities like Santiago , Buenos Aires , Bogota , Montevideo , Sao Paulo , Panama City and San Jose , among others , have shown improvements in over 100 indicators related to Smart Cities , and spending on Smart City initiatives has been steadily increasing .
Smart City technologies , however , face criticism due to their potential to
44 www . intelligentbuild . tech