Smart City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Smart City - Essay Example identifies that majority of these individuals still live in slums (2011). Comparatively, although cities only occupy 2 to 3 percent of the total earth’s surface, they are responsible for about 75 percent of carbon secretions and 80 percent of the total energy consumption (Haftor, Mirijamdotter & Bradley, 2010). It is thus in this context that, to be livable in the future, cities require efficient urbanization plans with a huge emphasis placed on the concepts of sustainability, smart, and livability. Essentially, there are various factors which characterize and define Smart Cities. According to Sanseverino, these factors include smart economy, sustainability, smart mobility, economic development, smart people, a high quality of life and smart governance among others (2014). Thus, these factors are essential for the improvement of lives of individuals residing in cities. It is worth noting that these factors can be enhanced through the appropriate and effective use of infrastructure, Information Computer Technology (ICT), as well as social capital (Galbraith, 2014). As such, a Smart City creates an environment that not only presents the residents with numerous opportunities to be tapped, but also a broad range of actions and activities as embraced in its voluminous definitions. According to Giffinger, et al., a Smart City can be defined as â€Å"an innovative city† which makes use of ICTs and other strategies to increase urban competition, improve efficiency in the service s offered and improve the general quality of city life (2007). It is however worth noting that in order to achieve this, it is important to not only meet the needs of the present generation but also the future generations. Notably important, there are six important dimensions that are key to the creation of a Smart City. These dimensions can be identified as smart mobility, smart economy, smart people, smart environment, smart governance

Philosophers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophers - Research Paper Example According to Bennabi, religion is important if the equation Man + Soil + Time = Civilization(Benlahcene, 2013). He argued that Man was at the center of the process of civilization and that without him, the other elements would not hold. In line with verse 13:11 of the Quran, he also argued that to change the society, Muslims must first seek to change their spiritual condition. Bennabi’s philosophy was based on a deep understanding of Islam not just as a religion, but also as a civilization. He sought to philosophically explain the origins of the decline of Islam and propose solutions. His early life in a devout Islamic family had prepared him for such a mission. Ibn Khaldun is largely considered the most important philosopher and scholar in Muslim History(Rapoport, 2011). Ibn Khaldun was born to a wealthy family in 1332. He received a traditional education. His first teacher was his father, a scholar who avoided politics even though he came from a ruling family. Then, under different scholars, he memorized the Quran and learned Arabic grammar, Hadith, philology, rhetoric, jurisprudence and poetry. Ibn Khaldun pursued studies until the age of nineteen when a major plague struck the country. After the plague, Ibn Tafrakin, the ruler of Tunis, hired Khaldun as the seal bearer of the ruler’s captive, Sultan Abu lshaq. This appointment set the stage for Khaldun’s political career. In a work known as the Muqaddima, translated â€Å"The Introduction to History†, Khaldun offers a synthesis of the methodological and cultural knowledge that an effective historian must possess. In the book, he presents a cyclical model of how dynasties evolved in the ancient world (Rapoport, 2011). First, tribal ties were very strong and played an important role in the formation of new empires in the ancient Arab world. He posited that it was the