The Future of Smart Cities in Latin America

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United States, 1966. Walt Disney announced his groundbreaking idea through a video produced to persuade the Florida state legislators to grant the necessary permits for Disney's next major venture: a new and innovative master plan near the city of Orlando, Florida, named the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow," better known as EPCOT. 

Walt Disney's E.P.C.O.T Film (1966) 

At that time, EPCOT represented the world's largest and most ambitious urban master plan, a 27,400-hectare "Smart City" designed for the future, built from the ground up. Disney's utopia included extensive residential areas capable of housing 20,000 residents, a corporate and commercial center focused on the development of new products and technologies, parks, and recreational areas spread out and connected to the city via monorails, an underground system of streets and highways for optimal vehicle circulation, and even an airport.  

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of his colleagues, especially his brother Roy, Walt Disney's dream collapsed following his death, a few months after the presentation video was released. 

What is a Smart City? A Smart City is defined as those cities that deeply and holistically incorporate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in providing all their services: educational, social, cultural, transportation, governance, sustainability, etc. 

What about the "cities of the future" today? What are the new possibilities and current demands regarding their design and construction? Today, urban master plans like the one Disney created over 50 years ago are not only feasible thanks to advances in construction and communication technologies but are also increasingly necessary to address present challenges such as climate change, insecurity in large cities, and housing deficits. 

Technologies aimed at decentralization, like blockchain, 5G technology for faster and more effective telecommunications, shifts towards renewable and ecological energy sources, and the growth of policies supporting innovation, inclusion, and sustainability, are just some of the elements that both allow and necessitate the creation of new living spaces and methods. The era of smart cities is now. 

At Gómez Platero Architecture & Urbanism, we aim to make Earth the best place to live. We are convinced that the cities of the future must be designed with the perfect blend of technology, communication, sustainability, decentralization, health, and nature, with the quality of the community's social relationships at the heart of each project. 

The Future of Smart Cities in Latin America:

+Colonia is one of our most ambitious architectural and urban projects, with a large scale and significant impact in the region where it is located. It is envisioned as a natural expansion of the eastern wing of the city of Colonia del Sacramento, facing the coast of the Río de la Plata, covering 511 hectares and 7 kilometers of riverfront. 

Social diversity, leading educational centers, and thriving companies that generate employment are among the components of the new city, which will integrate with the existing urban area, aspiring to become the largest innovation center in Latin America. 

A city for entrepreneurs, startups, universities, and technology companies adhering to the highest standards of sustainability.  

Among the features and benefits that +Colonia will offer, we highlight: 

• Everything within a 15-minute radius, ideal for bicycles or public transport. 
• Over 50% of the project area is dedicated to green and recreational spaces. 
• The highest connectivity in Latin America, based on 5G technology and Wifi 6. 
• Over 90% of the region's energy matrix comes from renewable sources. 
• A technological and scientific hub offering specialized training for professional and personal development. 
• A physical and virtual city built on a digital cloud registered with blockchain technology to ensure security, traceability, and decentralization. 
• A strategic and privileged location, just a few kilometers from Buenos Aires and Montevideo. 

+Colonia is a hyper-flexible project, designed to meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's generations. It is a place of freedom, technology, diversity, collaboration, inclusion, and perfect harmony with the environment, strategically conceived as the next step towards the future of intelligent communities. 

Far from being a dream, +Colonia is already a reality brought into the present thanks to the trust of our clients, the commitment of our team, and our vision to "See Beyond."