26. Social Development and Security for Smart Economic Development

A city’s future sustainable growth and prosperity depends upon its investment in education, health, peace, security and other social capital stocks. Successful cities create a peaceful and secure environment for investment and encourage high human capital development through well-educated and healthy citizens; such cities report lower levels of inequalities and poverty. Advances in information and communication technologies in the past few decades have enabled globalization, which is itself associated with urban growth and development. Recent studies have, however, also noted that globalization is making cities vulnerable in new ways, especially by opening them up to destructive networks that undermine security and development. Therefore, smart cities must continuously make efforts to raise the competencies and quality of its citizens and thereby improving its competitiveness, increasing innovations and overcoming other challenges such as unemployment, insecurity and lawlessness. This chapter highlights the enormous efforts that Nairobi city has made in addressing and improving its safety and the social capital of its citizens through investments in technological advancements in health, education and security services as part of its developmental pathway to achieving a smart city status. The chapter discusses insights, challenges and opportunities presented by Nairobi’s demographic dividend, its growing human capital and improving security status alongside its emerging economic opportunities, which together are expected to turn the city into a globally competitive and smart city.