Defining a niche for Facilities Management in Smart Cities

Abstract

A wide variety of disciplines engage in Smart Cities as the scope and breadth of it is broad. Within the built environment, there is much discussion on how planning and construction phases influence Smart Cities. There is little discussion on the role of Facilities Management (FM). However, there has been much work on the influence FM has on design phases to ensure functional and usable buildings. Neglecting to scale up the influence of FM from individual buildings to city scale may have long term consequences on sustainability of cities. Taking a mindset of including an FM perspective early in the development of a Smart City is considered here in terms of social aspects of required services. The work draws on ideas of Urban FM to operationalize local needs which also responds to the need to link to broader city sustainable strategies. The starting point is from the development of two districts in Trondheim, Norway. In a three-day workshop, students interpret the needs of the area based on their own knowledge-based perspective, guidance from tutors of Urban FM and through engagement with local users of the area. The work highlights the potential of including an FM perspective in the development of cities.