How the Internet of Things is affecting urban design

The Internet of Things is coming to a city near you. With predictions that 66% of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050, Internet of Things technology is increasingly drawing the attention of city planners, engineers and architects keen on staying ahead of the curve they're imagining a world with smart street lamps, smart sidewalks and even smart sewage systems. The possibilities for the Internet of Things in an urban environment are nearly limitless.

That's not a tagline for the latest summer blockbuster or an ad for a swanky coffee shop chain: Regardless of your feelings for the term itself, the 'Internet of Things,' which refers to the plethora of "smart" technologies inundating the market today, is a concept with vast implications for the way we'll live our everyday lives in the coming years.

And it's not just app programmers whose ears perk up whenever Internet of Things enters the conversation.

We're already seeing hints of the potential of the Internet of Things on a large scale today. "Smart cities" like Songdo, South Korea and Masdar City in Abu Dhabi offer glimpses into a future of complete connectedness — though, as of yet, the cities themselves don't exactly look like something out of The Jetsons.