Smart Industry No.1 2022

source ©: Patrizia AG
Modernista constructions like the
tubular Torre Glòries and the Design
Museum of Barcelona loom large –
but there has been considerable effort
to preserve the heritage.
Cisco invested $30 million in developing
a co-innovation centre, focused
on the Internet of Everything (IoE),
in a former textile factory. An artistic
colony occupies the Palo Alto Market
area, and the Pompeu Fabra University's
Communication Campus and
From old to new
The former industrial
slum of Poblenou has
been transformed
into the throbbing
heart of a new city by
a mix of careful conservation
and striking
modernisation.
the Fundació Vila Casa Museum are
housed in renovated textile factories.
November 2020 marked the twentieth
anniversary of the 22@ urban
planning project and provided an
opportunity to reassess its direction.
The council plans to open the district
to green companies and more
space was earmarked for 9,300 rental
homes – but this looks like it will be
increased to around 15,800 residential
apartments.
“It is the mix of uses that we like about
22@,” explains de Roda. “How the office
and living spaces are revitalising
the quarter to create a new, dynamic
and compelling lifestyle. That’s the
attraction for the creative classes and
will ensure they will continue to be
drawn to the area.”
Interview
Solutions by the People, for the People
How is Barcelona approaching
IoT?
Barcelona is transforming itself into
a true smart city. The areas they have
focused on – environmental monitoring,
parking, waste disposal and smart
lighting – provide them with a solid
platform for continuing to develop in
the future. Importantly, they have put
all this in place not for the sake of the
technology but because it provides
solutions for the needs of people.
What are the main challenges?
First – scale. With a project like this,
you only benefit when you cover a
large area. This can pose problems
because of the physical environment
or the ‘not in my backyard’ attitudes.
Barcelona has overcome this by effectively
scaling proven technology from
its Urban Lab out over the wider city.
Any others?
There are issues concerning retrofitting
the urban landscape to handle
new technology. For example, providing
power to the parking place
sensors. There is also security. A parking
app helps cut down on pollution
and congestion but it also marks
where the car and owner will be for
the next few hours, so security is an
issue.
There are some pretty nifty
gadgets installed around here. Is
theft a big problem?
With such innovative products, tampering
happens more often than you
might think. Safeguards have to be
put in place to protect the devices.
What’s the payback?
There are two: cost savings and the
ability to influence behavior. Thanks
to IoT, Barcelona has reduced congestion
and lowered car emissions,
water and energy costs. It has also
brought significant economic development.
The quality of life for
residents, workers and visitors has
Thanks to IoT,
Barcelona
has reduced
congestion and
lowered car
emissions,
water and
energy costs.
Giulio Spinelli
EMEA Smart City
Business Development
Manager and technology
specialist for timing and
sensing at Avnet Silica,
lives and works in Milan
also improved. Also, collecting data
can help government agencies place
infrastructure where it’s needed in a
far more focused manner. When that
data is also made available to the
public in effective formats, it can encourage
behavioral changes. People
can see it is far quicker to take a bike
than a car for a short trip, or to leave
a trip until later when the pollution
will not be as bad.
source ©: Facebook
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