Smart Cities and Smart Societies: The Shock, or the New Paradigm for a Smart Society

The post-shock scenario is outlined: an uncertain future with a “new normality.” The embryos of the new paradigm are alongside the powerful discontinuity generated by COVID-19. With examples and anecdotes from Shanghai and China, a transformation already underway is portrayed. No more perfect shock could be thought to reconsider the role of humans on this planet, on our cities. There is a crucial need for resilience of local systems, for short chains, for autonomous energy and food self-sufficiency, for decentralizing essential products. Security and contingency plans are needed and must operate on a global scale, but at the same time at the country and the city level. The future must be reinvented, acting in depth, for shifting from “exploitation” to “cooperation” with natural systems. Topics are education, work, services, transport, food safety.