The Truly Smart City

For urban dwellers, the question of how well you know your city is quickly being replaced with the question of how well does your city know you? Transportation systems can track your comings and goings, utility companies know your usage patterns and banks know what you spend and when. Does that make for a city of dreams, or a nightmare?

What is the trajectory of urban technology and what will that mean for those living in it? Toward the Sentient City, an exhibition now going on in New York City, explores the notion of all-knowing city. BBC Digital Planet’s Laura Sheeter went to investigate. You can hear the segment at the BBC.

(Photo by Shayan via Flickr/Creative Commons)