Smart Cities vs. Dumb Decisions:

Everyone loves the phrase "smart city." It evokes a future that’s connected, clean, efficient, and human-centred. It's a buzzword that turns up in strategy documents, media releases, and glossy renderings of digital utopias. But here’s the hard truth: too often, our approach to urban development in Australia — especially in high-growth regions like Southeast Queensland — is anything but smart.

We have the technology. We have the data. We have a booming innovation sector. So why are we still building cities like it’s 2005?

What Smart Cities Are Supposed to Be

Smart cities are meant to use data and digital infrastructure to enhance the way we live, work, move, and interact. This includes real-time transport monitoring, energy-efficient buildings, predictive maintenance of public assets, integrated mobility solutions, and citizen-centric design powered by behavioural insights.

Done well, smart city planning can help governments make better decisions, optimise public spending, reduce emissions, and improve the daily lives of residents.

But in reality, most “smart city” initiatives in Australia fall short. Why? Because we keep making the same foundational mistakes.

Mistaking Tech Add-Ons for Smart Design

You can’t retrofit smart thinking. Too many developments try to bolt on technology at the end of a traditional design process — adding some sensors, digital displays, or a mobile app and calling it innovation. That’s not a smart city. That’s a marketing campaign.

Truly smart infrastructure starts upstream — at the policy, planning, and procurement stages. It involves embedding digital thinking into zoning decisions, transport corridors, and housing strategies. But that takes more time, more collaboration, and a deeper understanding of systems thinking — something that is still missing in many of our planning departments and commercial delivery teams.

The Consequences of Playing it Safe

When we build for yesterday, we pay for it tomorrow. Without smart infrastructure:

Traffic congestion worsens



• Utilities are stretched beyond capacity
  
  
• Buildings become obsolete faster
  
  
• Housing becomes less affordable
  
  
• Public assets cost more to maintain
  
  

And worst of all? We miss the opportunity to build resilient, flexible and adaptive cities that are future-proofed for population growth, climate change, and economic shocks.

A Smarter Path Forward

If we’re serious about building smart cities, especially in the lead-up to events like the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we need to change the game.

That means:

• Embedding data-driven scenario modelling into planning approvals
  
  
• Incentivising collaboration between startups, councils, and infrastructure owners
  
  
• Upskilling our public and private sector decision-makers in urban tech
  
  
• Mandating open data and interoperable systems for public infrastructure
  
  
• Shifting the narrative from tech gimmicks to long-term system intelligence
  
  

Smart cities aren’t about shiny gadgets — they’re about better outcomes.

The Choice Ahead

As leaders across property, construction, and government, we now face a simple choice:

Do we take the hard but necessary steps to embed innovation and digital thinking into our cities? Or do we keep making dumb decisions dressed in smart city branding?

One path leads to globally competitive, future-ready places.

The other leads to regret — and missed opportunity.