Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, and self-driving cars will find the nearest parking space themselves? Although it might sound a little far from you, living in a “smart” city like this could happen sooner than you think.

Great changes have taken place in towns that we have lived in for centuries, while completely new cities are being built. One such place is the city of Songdo. Every home there will have a “telepresence” system (远程遥控系统)—allowing users to control the heating and looks, take part in video meetings, and receive education, healthcare and government services. Around the city, escalators (自动扶梯) will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the system.

The great mind behind Songdo is from the company Cisco. In fact, technology companies around the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already in the business.

About 75% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, so cities will need to be more modern to deal with the coming problems. “Making cities smarter is one way out, and I think this will in turn make cities greener,” said Dan Hill, head of a research company.

Knowing the City by Walking

Thanks to the ancient Silk Road, the lands of Italy and China have been connected for more than 2, 000 years. Tourists from China and every corner of the world come to visit Italy every year. Here are four famous cities of Italy.

	Roman Colosseum Rome is the birthplace of science, culture and of course, art in Europe. It is the perfect combination of the modern and the classical. When one walks around the city, one can see many museums. Of course, Rome is also considered as the fashion center of the world now. The Roman Colosseum is today considered as one wonder of the modern world.
	Leaning Tower Pisa is a small city. It is famous for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you think that Pisa has only one leaning tower, you may just be wrong. This city has three leaning towers. Home of the famous scientist Galileo, Pisa is also known for its universities because the city is home of some of the most important universities in Europe.
	David Florence is one of the most important provinces in Italy. Shopping here, you’ll find David, the most famous statue(雕像) of Michelangelo. If you are planning to spend just a couple of days in Florence, you probably will not want to lose the chance to see and enjoy Arnolfo Tower. It will be open on Sunday and Monday from 9:00 a. m. to 6:00 p. m. (closed in case of rain).
	Gondolas Venice is a city over a hundred islands. You can visit most interesting places of the city by walks or by the famous Gondolas. Art exhibitions, film festivals and famous carnival(狂欢节) make Venice a place that can be visited any time of the year.