The smart city race for the future

There is a less known competition among cities, that to become a zero-carbon city.

Top tourist cities such as Vienna in Austria has already set a goal to become a zero-carbon city as early as 2020.

Other cities, on the other hand, want to start from zero and build up the smart way.

Songdo, in South Korea, is one such example. All the buildings in the 1,500-acre region have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate. Moreover, sensors placed along the roads and other constructions measure, adjust and evaluate energy consumption levels.

Songdo is a $35 billion investement that holds the record for the single largest private real estate development in the world. It's completion is due 2017.

The Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates is another smart city, comprised of 500 houses fueled solely by solar energy and other renewable sources. The intriguing part is that cars in Masdar City are banned.

Residents have to resume to bikes, public transportation or walking in order to get around.

The town will be the home of the International Renewable Energy Agency.