The Smart City Expo exhibition has brought together administrations, companies and experts these days. Among them was Richard Threlfall, one of the greatest experts in the broad field of infrastructure.
Are they a critical issue for cities?
Infrastructure is fundamental, the basis of our civilization, but it is more than that because it is also responsible for around 80% of carbon emissions with energy and road transport as the main contributors. If we are going to fight climate change, we have to do it through infrastructure.
At the same time, climate change with its storms pushes train tracks and roads to the limit...
An enormous amount of money will need to be spent globally to protect the assets we have. It is a global imperative to decarbonize everything and convert all the world's energy to renewable as quickly as possible. All gasoline and diesel cars must be taken off the roads and converted to electric as quickly as possible.
Is it feasible in the short term?
There is no technical barrier to it, what stands in the way is our mindset and determination.
What decisions should be made decisively?
There is no single answer, you can change the entire bus fleet, give incentives to people to work from home and make fewer trips, or pedestrianize parts of the city.
Who should lead it?
The governments of the countries, which tend to be quite isolated. What is really interesting is the role that cities can play. We will not successfully confront climate change if we do not do so from cities, which have demonstrated the ability to operate in a more united and effectively combined manner.
Mayors ask for more power to influence major regulations. Can they take on such a big challenge now?
They have a lot of power over transportation and urban planning. For its part, energy infrastructure will increasingly be local thanks to renewables such as solar. We are lucky that we have to take on this challenge now, when thanks to digital twins we can model solutions in real time and save billions of euros by making the wrong decision.
How do you imagine the cities of the next decade?
There is something really powerful about imagining a city with less traffic that makes citizens feel better. I also project it with all electric vehicles. A clear policy must be established, with incentives to renew individuals and investment in charging infrastructure. Norway is doing it and none of this is difficult, it just requires will.
