Emerging Technological Advancements to Safety and Security Systems in Smart Urban Public Spaces

This research delves into perceptions of emerging technological tools to suffice safety & security in urban public space formulations in line with the intentions of many cities around the world and as envisioned by CPTED concepts. As cities evolve into technologically advanced hubs popularly termed as Smart cities, enhancing citizen well-being, and promoting sustainable urban living becomes paramount. The study co-relates urban scenarios of pre-smart city eras with post eras in terms of liveability aspects. This technological transformation, while promising, confronts challenges, notably data security concerns and the seamless integration of the physical devices of IoT (Internet of Things) within urban designs. This study addresses the second challenge through the exploration of three aspects of smart systems- intelligent public lighting, smart surveillance, and interactive digital platforms adopting case study method. It attempts to bridge the gap between safety measures and technological interventions with twofold objectives: to understand the role of technology in fostering urban environments, and to propose an integrative framework of digital security systems in the physical public realms. This proposed framework for digital ecosystem intends to create awareness on possibilities and serve as a guide for municipal decisions under architectural and urban design contexts for amicable accommodation of the ‘physical components’ of such smart systems.