Why a smart community?

Abstract

All over the world, advances in technology have led to many nations into adopting the concept of a smart city in developing their environment. Fewer have considered the smart community notion, yet people all over the world form communities to tackle everyday challenges and to survive. The authors of this chapter believed that a smart community has the potential of transforming the lives of the society through ICT-led initiatives. In this chapter, the authors address the impact and the benefits of a smart community. They draw from their experiences and involvement with Siyabuswa Education Improvement and Development Trust (Seidet) and their collaborations with various stakeholders including academics, research council, local communities and government, in an effort toward the development of a digital village through a smart community development approach (Phahlamohlaka, 2008; Phahlamohlaka et al,. 2014, 2016). To fathom the impact of a smart community, it is befitting to first understand the definition of a smart community as applicable herein. Therefore, this chapter begins with the definition of a smart community, from the perspective of the authors, relative to the smart city, followed by the benefits of a smart community using Seidet as a case study. The authors also highlight aspects of Seidet that are appropriate for championing smart communities, and they briefly discuss future smart communities considerin emerging technologies and global dynamics.