How vague is a term of “smart city”? – ParkNews.biz Feb 2nd-8th, 2021

February 08, 2021

How vague is a term of “smart city”? – ParkNews.biz Feb 2^nd-8^th, 2021

‘Smart cities’ is almost an impossibly vague term. What’s ‘smart’? It’s anything you want it to be. It’s by definition good — smart,” said David Zipper, a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, during the conference.

Perhaps we get caught up in the cover of the book instead of its substance? Perhaps it is a human nature as evident in everything today.

Technology serving the people yet, as everything, it always has a price. The concept of smart city might be vague yet, the word surveillance implies that the big brother is watching. Which one is it? Read more about it on ParkNews.biz under the headline: Feb 8, 2021 – The City of Sydney Chooses ZipBy for Its Seamless Parking Experience.

In other news this week on ParkNews.biz and at Parking Today, we have moved our PIE 2021 to July 18 -21^st, .2021 to Dallas, TX, Gaylord Texan Resort. We have full confidence the extra couple months will allow us to get back to normal and have meetings in person. “We are excited to announce that we have shifted the dates of PIE 2021 to Jul 18-21 and the venue to the Gaylord Texan Resort adjacent to DFW airport in Dallas, Tx. We are very excited to be at such a beautiful resort. This change allows us to be in a state that is currently open and moves us to the third quarter of 2021. It permits us to be together for an in-person event.

“The additional time will allow for more vaccinations to be administered and for both attendees and exhibitors to be more comfortable meeting face to face. Our original location in Schaumberg, IL has been unable to predict how their state government will be handling ongoing restrictions. …” PIExpo2021

Our PT Plus member Park Assist “recently merged with TKH Security, has been awarded the Parking Guidance System (PGS) contract for King Faisal Specialist Hospital’s Biotech Wing, Phase 2. The King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is a tertiary referral hospital, offering highly specialized inpatient and outpatient medical care. An avid participant in many clinical and research studies, it is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top hospitals specializing in Oncology, Organ Transplantation, Cardiovascular Diseases, Neurosciences, and Genetic Diseases.”

In addition, there are a couple of thought provoking blogs from our JVH. One about Maya Angelou and her caged bird singing for freedom. The other one about getting out and doing some traveling. As in planes and hotels. “That short trip reminded me just what it was like to meet people face to face. I saw new people, made a couple of friends, and was reminded that the world didn’t end at my property line. The destination airport was rocking and rolling. That airport, unlike LAX, was filled with people coming and going. Shops and restaurants were open, people were traveling, and I felt that all was right with the world.”

Have a wonderful week.

Sincerely,

Astrid Ambroziak

Editor, ParkNews.biz