We are in the early days of a transformation of our cities from dumb to smart. Whether we know or like it our cities are being kitted up with sensors, cameras and all forms of data gathering devices. The technology that is used to collect, transmit, communicate, analyze and take action on data is what will make our cities smart. The data collection and analysis should enable city officials/citizens to better (or attempt to better) run cities.
So what exactly will be changing? I can think of 4 buckets of change
Personnel and training: Along with the changes in regulation and infrastructure there will be a need to train our current workforce to deal with these upgrades to their capability. Some examples. Policemen will be able to get visual and text based information on events in seconds to within a square inch of where it happens and they need to be able to respond to that at the speed of receiving that information. Sticking with safety: firemen will be able to tell, before they leave the fire station, what device in a home caused the fire seconds after the fire starts. That's powerful but will require that firemen be trained on quickly drawing insights from data or be augmented by cognitive systems. For more basic needs, your plumber will be able to know what pipe or fitting needs to be changed out before he comes to your home so he'll come ready to serve.
Fundamentally, regardless of all the technological advancement that we are seeing/about to see, what we'll want from our cities won't change; to provide us the chance to fulfill our highest aspirations and live secure, happy and healthy lives with our loved ones. That won't change...
What else do you think will change?