The contemporaneity of the smart city

The functioning and competitiveness of cities depend on many factors including material infrastructures and those dedicated to the use of information and communication technologies. Recently the belief is spreading that artificial intelli-gence can contribute more effectively to improving the quality of life of its citizens. It is a dimension within which urban planners must obtain a significant space to study its positive effects on the territory “not that planners become moderators” (These are the words of Sandro Balducci offered at the Urbanpromo reading meeting held on 07/07/2021 on “the darker side of Smart city”.). This need is clearly legitimized by the coordinated plan on AI as updated by the European Commission in 2021 when it establishes that artificial intelligence technologies are at the service of people among the fundamental strategic objectives. To this end, it is necessary to fully involve citi-zens by instilling them with the utmost confidence in the use of technology in order to promote effective strategies for the city. Against this, the Commission is committed to ensuring that AI works for people by promoting digital skills and promoting a human-centered approach globally. The biggest challenge still today is represented by the integration of disciplinary knowledge that contributes to the qualitative devel-opment of urban places, making them inclusive, sustainable and intelligent. The time has come to promote an innovative strategy for the smart city, encouraging the training of new professionals, capable of facing and resolving the old and new frailties of the contemporary city.