Building Smart Cities

in Asia: A Vision for

the Future
by: Assoc Prof Ts Dr Mohd Zairul b
Mohd Noor
Department of Architecture, UPM
Serdang, Malaysia
With rapid urbanization, cities in Asia face numerous challenges such
as congestion and pollution; smart city solutions pave the way towards
a sustainable and connected future.

As the world is rapidly developing and progressing into an era of

technological advancement, building smart cities is crucial for
improving the quality of life of citizens, optimizing resource utilization
and efficiency, enhancing economic growth and development, and
mitigating environmental impact.

Rapid urbanization is a defining phenomenon in the Asia and Pacific

region. By 2050, Asia’s total urban population will rise to 3.5 billion.1
The growing concentration of people in cities poses fundamental
challenges, particularly for urban areas in developing Asia, as they are
struggling to provide continuous and adequate basic services, placing
them on an unsustainable development path
What is a smart city?
A smart city is a city that uses advanced technology and data
analysis to improve the quality of life of its citizens.

A smart city is a city that uses advanced technology to improve the

quality of life of its citizens.

It involves the use of sensors, data analytics, and other

technologies to optimize city operations.

The goal of a smart city is to make cities more sustainable, efficient,

and connected.
What is a smart city?
Smart cities have become a global trend, evolving from the
improvement of infrastructure and service delivery by use of
sensors and technology to the improvement of city-wide decision
making by use of data analytics. Yet, most cities have had
difficulties making their smart vision a reality.

In Asia and the Pacific, most strategies come from the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
and India. Hardly any smart city publications by governments can be found in Africa or
South America, and no strategies were identified in low-income countries. This finding
suggests that cities in low-income countries lack the means and resources to develop
and to implement smart city strategies, or that it may not be their core priority in light of
more pressing basic infrastructure and services demands.
Source: ASEAN Smart Cities Framework. Jakarta.
The multilevel framework for a smart city plan includes strategic
outcomes, urban systems, and focus areas, with enablers as key
elements. It emphasizes adapting the plan to the individual city's
needs, with three overarching strategic objectives for all cities.
The six focus areas are adaptable and underpinned by integrated
planning and adaptive governance, with technology and
partnerships as key enablers. This framework has been used in
pilot cities such as Luang Prabang and Phnom Penh, with relevant
urban systems and key enablers applicable to all focus areas.
Most models define high-level objectives to
guide smart city programs. Eight high-level
objectives were common among the
reviewed smart city models: innovation,
sustainability, and efficiency are covered by
more than 50% of the reviewed models,
followed by quality of life, competitiveness,
economic growth, and inclusiveness
appearing in about one-third of the models.
Resilience is the least-mentioned objective
mostly limited to models that focus on high-
risk contexts
Regarding smart city objectives, models for Asian cities have a
broader coverage of economic and social objectives than other
models. Innovation, efficiency, and sustainability come first in both
groups, while competitiveness, economic growth, and inclusiveness
are considered more in models for Asia. Despite the importance of
increasing climate and disaster risks, particularly in Asia and Pacific,
resilience is only mentioned in three models.
Smart city operations are built upon resilient and accessible ICT
infrastructure, in which a city-wide network of connectivity systems exchange
and update information in real-time. This information can then be provided to
the public. ICT connectivity is improving through infrastructure network
equipment components such as fixed-line and mobile network infrastructure,
satellites, data centers, and corresponding transmission lines. Mobile phone
applications also extend ICT connectivity to the end user, increasing
accessibility

Mobile phone applications also extend ICT connectivity to the end user,
increasing accessibility. This infrastructure is supplemented by emerging
intelligent systems,including internet of Things (IOT) and artificial intelligence.
ICT systems are dependent on broadband internet, public Wi-Fi, and/or long
range low-power wide-area networks; IOT networks transfer data from
sensors; city control centers monitor data flows in real time; data platforms
provide access to these data sets for multiple users; data centers and cloud
computing enhance the real-time exchange of data; and ICT security and
resilience protocols protect the systems and underlying data.
The Asian region has been pursuing smart city
aspirations as a national development premise
due to urbanization and economic opportunities
from the digital sector. Singapore was the
pioneer of the smart city movement in the region
with the Smart Nation initiative in 2014. Other
countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have also
mobilized smart city strategies as a national plan,
such as the 100 Smart Cities Movement launched
by Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and
Information Technology in 2017 to address
urbanization issues and improve the quality of life
of urban citizens.
The program aims to work on six key areas:
governance, people, economy, mobility, living,
and environment. Similarly, Malaysia’s
government recently spearheaded the Malaysia
Smart City Framework (MSCF) to present a
national document to guide Malaysia’s innovative
city development across states and regions. The
MSCF is strategically aligned with other
domestic plans such as an urbanization policy, a
physical plan, green technology, low-carbon
cities, and Malaysia’s global commitment to the
New Urban Agenda (the UN-Habitat) and the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (Lim et al.
2020).
The Philippines introduced New Manila
Bay, a 407-ha city and a new integrated
central business district (CBD)
enhanced by artificial intelligence. New
Manila Bay is the biggest Belt and Road
project between the Philippines and
China to date and is estimated to be
completed in 2030 (Seow 2017).
Another new development, New Clark
City, is the country’s first new town
development that integrates smart,
green, and resilient solutions to address
climate change and natural disasters
Thailand’s government plans to adopt a smart city approach to
enhance investment in cities along the Eastern Economic Corridor
(EEC), a special economic zone with a solid manufacturing base
(Dunseith 2018). As the government of Thailand expects to generate
US$43 billion for the realization of the EEC, the government has been
enhancing four investment areas: improved infrastructure, business
and industrial clustering, tourism, and new town development through
smart urban planning
The push for the adoption of smart cities for
urban development has also become a
regional movement in Southeast Asia.
Initiated by Singapore during its Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
chairmanship in 2018, the ASEAN Smart City
Network (ASCN) was launched as a network
of 26 pilot cities from all 10 ASEAN member
states to work towards the common goal of
smart and sustainable urban development.
Smart cities
improve
sustainability,
efficiency, safety,
and livability by
connecting people,
Benefits
infrastructure, and
technology.
Benefits include
of smart
reduced energy
consumption,
cities
better air quality,
and enhanced
mobility.
Asian
countries
leading
the way
Asian cities are at the forefront
of smart city innovation and
sustainability, utilizing cutting-
edge technologies to improve
quality of life.
 Examples of successful smart
cities in Asia

Singapore: known for its efficient transportation systems and smart

traffic management.

Seoul: famous for its advanced waste management and smart grid
infrastructure.

Tokyo: recognized for its advanced use of technology in public

safety and disaster management systems.
 Smart city
investments in Asia
are projected to
reach $158 billion

Financials by 2023, driven by

initiatives to
improve
sustainability and
connectivity.
Architect's role in smart city building

1. Sustainable design: Architects can design buildings and infrastructure that minimize energy consumption,
reduce waste, and maximize the use of renewable resources. They can also incorporate sustainable materials
into their designs to minimize the impact on the environment.
2. Green spaces: Architects can incorporate green spaces, such as parks and gardens, into their designs to
improve air quality, reduce urban heat islands, and provide recreational spaces for residents.
3. Smart buildings: Architects can design buildings that use smart technology to monitor and adjust energy usage
and environmental conditions automatically, reducing energy consumption and improving comfort for
occupants.
4. Walkability and accessibility: Architects can design cities with walkable streets, bike lanes, and public
transportation that promote physical activity and reduce reliance on cars. They can also design buildings and
infrastructure that are accessible for people with disabilities.
5. Community engagement: Architects can work with communities to understand their needs and preferences, and
incorporate their input into their designs. This can help to create more sustainable and livable cities that are
tailored to the needs of their residents.
Thanks!