Smart City: The Lagos potential

Abstract

Smart city initiatives have seen a rise in the years as a methodology to identify the problems that comes with a growing urban population. The 21st century has witnessed massive urbanization with major cities seeing double its population. This has its effects on the city with pollution, environmental change among a list of many challenges being faced. With new technological advantages at hand many cities are turning to smart solutions as a way of handling this growing population now and in the future. This paper examines the concept as a development approach to city challenges and reviews one of its domain ‘smart mobility’ in the light of transportation challenges in Lagos city It is discovered that application of the concept in Lagos, Nigeria will be limited by the level of ICT infrastructure, absent of a national policy guideline and poor investment in transport infrastructure. The paper recommends development of a national guideline for integrated transport development; establishment of a city structure that will coordinate and promote stakeholders and investment with innovative funding that will support ICT-infrastructure.