Smart City
Smart city are starting to become the world's attention and have even become the subject of diplomacy. This phenomenon appears following the development of globalization which demands technological reform in every aspect (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021). The word ‘smart city’ first entered the world's vocabulary since the 2008 crisis with IBM’s A Smarter Planet: The Next Leadership Agenda. Smart city leverage new technologies such as big data, the cloud, embedded sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). (Joo, 2021)
Although the smart city still does not have a clear definition, the European Commission defines smart city as “ a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital and telecommunication technologies for the benefit of its inhabitants and business. A smart city goes beyond the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for better resource use and less emissions. It means smarter urban transport networks, upgraded water supply and waste disposal facilities, and efficient ways to light and heat buildings. It also means a more interactive and responsive city administration, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an aging population”. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
Based on this definition, smart cities are built not from new infrastructure but through existing infrastructure by utilizing ICT (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021). The development of a smart city is based on the history, institutions, politics, and society of the city (Joo, 2021). Thus, the smart city concept will offer efficiency, less resource consumption, and less waste and pollution while still achieving the goal of making cities safer, more lively, and city administration easier. According to Giffinger, smart city are measured by several keys of smartness such as smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people, and smart living. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
There are several goals in a smart city namely social, economic, and environmental sustainability. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
1. Social sustainability
In the smart city concept, this concept aims to overcome negative environmental problems. This concept discusses the problems of society and the community in a smart city. In other words, this concept discusses changes in social structure due to smart cities. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
2. Economic sustainability
This concept focuses on sustainable human development. In the smart city concept, the economic system must be regulated so that the available resources can be utilized and shared equally. The ultimate goal of this concept is to build human productivity in society. This concept is related to the development of education and skill development in the smart city community. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
3. Environmental sustainability
This concept discusses smart city arrangements to maintain resource scarcity and reduce CO2 gas emissions in an effort to reduce environmental degradation. This can be done through mobility, energy, water consumption, and waste production. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021)
After the three goals above are planned, the next step is for Smart City Initiatives. This concept is an advanced level of smart city with concerns such as smart house, smart parking, fleet management, smart economy, smart safety, and others. (Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge., 2021). The main drivers of a smart city are technology, society, and policies/institutions. Therefore, the key driving factors of a smart city are corporation, citizen, and government. Actors from corporate smart cities are usually international high-tech companies and business consulting firms.
The projects they offer are usually based on profit. They offer a smart city program with the promise of a better urban environment. An example of this actor is Huawei which recently called out for the state to cooperate with smart city to gain a new market. Citizen-centric smart cities demonstrate citizen empowerment and engagement. Through open data, the community together with the government or stakeholders can help find solutions for the community. This open data also enables digital democracy and realizes the essence of an inclusive, transparent, and progressive smart city. Government usually acts as a smart city launcher and supporter through international policy discourse. (Joo, 2021)
Singapore Smart City
In 1972, Singapore announced its vision to become a global city. Since then, the government has started implementing various policies to realize its vision, one of which is the use of technology. The government's focus in this vision is to improve its position in the global economy and to focus on attracting multinational companies and global talents in the city-state 'survival' ideology. In realizing this vision, the government always strives to upgrade ICT infrastructure to increase productivity and efficiency, such as Singapore's Intelligent Island and Intelligent Nation.
In 2014, the Singapore government launched Smart Nation Initiatives replacing the global city vision. Although Singapore has achieved impressive development under the global city, Singapore still faces inequality and public dissatisfaction, especially regarding competition against foreigners within the country. Then a discourse emerged that the global city narrative was no longer in resonance with Singapore and should have been derived from the state's vision. (Joo, 2021)
The smart nation is one of the government's strategies in facing the industrial revolution 4.0. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said during the launch of the smart nation that ' our vision is for Singapore to be a Smart Nation – A nation where people live meaningful and fulfilling lives, enabled seamlessly by technology, offering exciting opportunities for all '. The use of the word nation itself emphasizes the government's commitment to this new vision. In contrast to the previous vision, this smart nation focuses on developing a collaborative ecosystem whose ultimate goal is to improve life within the smart nation.
To realize this vision, the government has launched several key projects such as in the areas of urban living, transport, health, digital government services, startups and businesses together with the strategic national projects (eg Smart Nation sensor platform, national digital identity, smart urban mobility, e-payments, Moments of Life, and Core Operations Development Environment and eXchange). This vision is under the responsibility of Smart Nation agencies – the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office Office (SNDGO) and GovTech (technical implementation agency) – directly housed under the Prime Minister's Office Office (PMO) (Joo, 2021)
To accelerate the implementation of the project, the government uses a centralized system. Currently, Singapore provides various living labs where global companies, foreign high-tech startups and the local government of Singapore, institutions, local startups, are starting to collaborate to find innovative technological solutions under various urban themes, such as security, environmental sustainability, fintech, autonomous vehicles, healthcare, port technology, and so on. In contrast to a global city that aims to attract multinational companies, in a smart nation, Singapore focuses more on attracting high-tech firms by making Singapore a living lab, a place where new ideas and technologies emerge. To attract the attention of global companies, Singapore needs to export its urban solution to expand its market.
In 2018, Singapore created the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) in collaboration with ten ASEAN countries in smart city collaboration in the region. Singapore has also signed several MoUs with partnerships to develop smart city projects in Asia, one of which is Shenzhen, China. The government also provides financial support to various tech companies. The government is also working with global technology firms such as Arup, Samsung, and Dassault to achieve the vision of a Smart Nation. Furthermore, the government also launched Build Amazing Startups Here (BASH) to support global and Singaporean tech startups. (Joo, 2021)
Shenzhen Smart City
China, as a country that is arguably late in implementing smart cities, has now become a country with the largest number of smart city programs and has made smart city new diplomacy for China as a world leader. Smart City began to enter China after the transformation of economic growth and urbanization in 2010. Smart cities have been included in China's national strategy since 2012. In November 2012, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) launched A Notice on Conducting National Pilot Smart City. This notice shows China's commitment to making smart city a new model for the government in fulfilling its national ideals in the development of an innovative country, a new style of urbanization, and a comprehensive well of society with the help of the integration of modern science and technology.
Based on the notice, there are several indicators of smart cities namely support systems and infrastructure, smart construction and liveability, smart management services, and smart industry and economy. In 2014, the State Council launched the National New-Type Urbanization Strategy (2014-2020) which covers construction in digital networks, planning management, urban infrastructure, public services, hi-tech industry, and social government. The smart city concept in China is more technology-centric where they focus on IoT, big data, 5G technology, AI, and cloud computing. (Hu, 2019)
Currently, Shenzhen is the leader of China's smart city movement or arguably the smartest city in China based on smart city rankings, media reports, and local government branding. As the leader of the smart city movement in China, Shenzhen launched the Shenzhen Municipal New-Type Smart City Construction Master Plan on July 30, 2019. This plan demonstrates Shenzhen's vision as a modern, international, and innovative city. The planned offer focused on services to people's lives, and urban governance capacity. This plan includes the structure of the smart city, including platforms, systems, domains, operations, and supports. Shenzhen itself has two of the largest tech firms, namely Huawei and Tencent which are based in the city.
These two companies play an important role in the development of the smart city in Shenzhen and spread their business globally. The Smart City project offered by Huawei offers a smarter, safer, and more efficient home city. This project itself has been applied to more than 160 cities in 40 countries. The smart city of Shenzhen has proven to be seen in improvements in several areas such as public security, telemedicine, and transport. Shenzhen is one of the cities in China with extensive use of smartphones in daily transactions, be it information access, mobility, or shopping. Shenzhen also applies sensors and cameras in a large public space so that the entire city can be said to be under monitoring and surveillance. (Hu, 2019)
Shenzhen is a new city created to rival Hong Kong. (Hu, 2019). After being designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980, Shenzhen experienced economic development with a focus on the high-tech industry. Shenzhen's GDP surpassed Hong Kong in 2018 reaching 2.6 trillion yuan in 2019. The development of smart cities in Shenzhen has already exceeded other big cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Hangzhou. Shenzhen has an advanced plan in its city project wherein in 2018 Shenzhen already has a comprehensive city-wide plan.
In February 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council made Shenzhen a leading city in building an integrated smart city in the region. The key principle of the Shenzhen smart plan 2018 is data unification and integration. The aim is to improve public services through comprehensive data management. Through this plan, the vision is integrated big data aimed at helping the government, industry, and the public as a whole. (Jelena Grobe-Bley and Genia Kostka, 2021)
References
Ahm Shamsuzzoha, Juha Nieminen, Sujan Piya, and Kendall Rutledge. (2021). Smart city for sustainable environment: A comparison of participatory strategies from Helsinki, Singapore and London. CITIES: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning .
Hu, R. (2019). The State of Smart Cities in China: The Case of Shenzhen. energies , 1-18.
Jelena Grobe-Bley and Genia Kostka. (2021). Big Data Dreams and Reality in Shenzhen: An Investigation of Smart City Implementation in China. SSRN , 1-18.
Joo, Y.-M. (2021). Developmentalist smart cities? the cases of Singapore and Seoul. International Journal of Urban Sciences , 1-19.
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