The Effects of Globalization and Cyber Security on Smart Cities

By 2050, 70 % of all people will be living in towns and cities. In 1900, it was only 13%. This means that every year, the number of people living in cities increases by seven times the population of New York. Water usage is increasing rapidly too; it has sextupled in the past 100 years; this rate of increase is double the rate of population increase. We must all face the challenge of a large number of people living together efficiently, in an organized way, on Earth, and how they can all access the needed services with the required quality. The term smart city primarily emphasizes sustainability, efficiency, and wide participation in decision-making, infocommunication technology solutions and providing services. The term was coined based on the integration of digital technologies, and the important phenomenon of community development and economic innovation, cities. The main players in the economy of the future are cities. States and local governments alone cannot respond to the challenges of global urbanization and environmental issues. In the development of smart cities, players of the economy and the city dwellers themselves play a more and more important role. The European Union has started programs like this and it is of paramount importance that Hungary actively participates in these, both in central coordination and at the level of settlements. At the same time, it is great help for Hungarian enterprises, too because the products they develop in and for Hungarian towns can be competitive on the international market as well.