Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Big-data for Sustainable Development

Cities are the most critical arena for advancing sustainable development and there is a growing enthusiasm of and recognition for the potential of applying urban big-data towards solving urban sustainability challenges. However, while the promise of urban big-data is real, there is currently a wide gap between its full potential and its realization. This article offers a brief overview of different sources of urban big-data and gives examples of emerging applications for urban sustainability in the area of urban mobility and urban energy management. Furthermore, a discussion on the socio-technical challenges of urban big-data is presented. To advance the sustainability applications of urban big-data, policymakers, practitioners, and businesses should view the emergence of these innovations through a lens of ‘hospitality’. Through this lens, cities may strengthen institutions to govern the development of urban big-data, enhance a grassroots culture for diffusing emerging sustainability innovations, and invest in university-led research and education