Zim’s smart cities vision calls for construction industry reimagining

The government’s vision of smart cities seems daunting against the current backdrop of most local urban authorities failing to deliver efficient and affordable basic amenities to ratepayers.

But the dream is not impossible. While smart cities are about technological connectivity, the foundation is a solid infrastructure that brings it all together. Summoning a car service on your phone with a swipe loses all seamless convenience if the vehicle then takes thirty minutes to reach you because of bad roads and traffic snarls.

The construction industry is crucial in making smart cities a reality.

Taking the lead

The problems in the urban areas are well known. Poor water and sewerage reticulation, ad hoc or none existent garbage collection, old fashioned garbage disposal and terrible roads.  

Instead of waiting on government and other entities to broadcast invitations to tender applications for planned jobs, players in the construction can take the lead by coming up with solutions then present these to various stakeholders as viable Public Private Partnership initiatives.

Players in the construction industry can come up with solutions for proposal to local authorities for things like more efficient road repairs and maintenance, garbage recycling plants, low cost housing, the list is endless.

There are limitless examples across the world of how other cities have dealt with similar problems and are developing with a focus on ever smarter futures.

What is important is that players in the industry come up with adaptations and innovations that suit the Zimbabwean setting, using local resources where possible.

Aggressive acquisition of new technologies

The world of construction is changing every day. New technologies like 3D printing, prefabricated parts and others are bringing down the cost of construction while increasing efficiency, safety and speed of delivery.

Construction industry players should be at the forefront of acquiring such new technologies and demonstrating use to both public and private players thus shaping how everyone perceives possibilities.

Digitisation, drones and digital twins are some of the areas that the construction industry can take a lead in bringing into the country.

Technological advance goes hand in hand with human capital development. The construction industry must therefore be proactive in advocating for desirable skills and expertise to be part of the education system at appropriate levels. There should be a stated policy on skills transfer to build local capacity when foreign players work within the country.

Quality and standards

There can never be overemphasis on the need to always uphold the best quality and standards in construction. Resorting to blame games when disaster strikes is not the way forward.

As the experts in the field, it is up to industry construction players to set exacting standards and insist that clients stick to them. Durability and safety in construction must be non-negotiable standards.

Doing it well the first time, and consistently, means that there is discernible progress and optimal utilization of resources.

Conclusion

The construction industry has a key role to play in the country’s development and can become the lynchpin on which modernization, urbanization and industrialization are achieved.