Making smart cities restorative: putting restoration ecology before technology

초록

We propose a restorative smart city framework that places restoration ecology (reference ecosystems, adaptive management, and long-term monitoring) before digital instrumentation (networked sensors, remote sensing, and algorithms). We integrate standards from restoration ecology and nature-based solutions with urban innovation and governance literature and ground the framework in practical examples. The framework specifies measurable ecological outcomes (biodiversity, ecosystem structure and function, hydrology, soils) benchmarked against reference models. It integrates networked sensors and devices (Internet of Things and remote sensing) and algorithms (machine learning) as triggers inside adaptive-management loops rather than endpoints. We also outline governance, including the Chief Restoration Officer role and procurement mechanisms that align incentives and data stewardship with ecological recovery. Drawing on restoration standards to ensure durability and justice, we pair ecological indicators with equity metrics throughout the project cycle. The paper centers restoration ecology, not technology deployment, as the organizing logic for smart city programs and clarifies how to operationalize that logic in planning, delivery, and multi-year aftercare.

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