Pressing urban challenges have pushed Asian countries to look at the creation of smart cities as well as to catch up with emerging trends and new opportunities. Mr Dzung Do Nguyen (enCity, CEO) was invited to speak at ‘Smart Cities in Asia’, a conference organized by Southeast Asia Infrastructure and Indian Infrastructure magazines from March 10-11, 2022. Discussing with Asian-wide experts from Frost & Sullivan, Microsoft, Alibaba, ADB etc., Dzung explained how smart technology is incorporated into natural, physical, digital and service layers of urban infrastructure.
To define smart cities, Dzung emphasized that: Smart city is an ecosystem that provides a high-quality of life for its residents, supported by an integrated urban planning framework, that engages its stakeholders and employs innovative technologies, ICT and data analytics. This ecosystem includes solution providers, benefactors, and a smart city foundation, allowing for synchronized decision-making in an effective, efficient, and economical way. He also introduced a “Smart City framework” where technology is integrated through comprehensive layers to form a city, from the revival of the natural environment, to the physical urban functions, followed by the digital infrastructure, the service and applications that support citizen users, and last but not least, the government system that transforms technologies and smart services into social benefits.
Dzung also mentioned that the success of smart cities depends on a good governance framework—a system that transforms technologies and smart services into social benefit. Since such systems are in place to improve the lives of people in cities, main functions of governments include development, where integration and management of different layers and the distribution of benefits to different stakeholders is the government’s responsibility. One example is through integrating mobility and maximizing existing infrastructure to increase local and regional connectivity while allowing for integration of digital services such as data analytics, automation and sensory data.
Another function of governments is management, where the operation of smart cities is optimized through interaction with community and businesses. Governance frameworks that strengthen seamless synergy play a major role in the success of cities. Smart city infrastructure focused solutions are also complemented through innovation. A unique discerner for a city remains its attention on innovation—creating an ecosystem for enterprises and business activities to foster partnerships, drive population and encourage investment into the region.
As with most cities, remaining competitive is key to sustain long term finances and a stable economy. In the case of Thu Duc City (the Eastern city of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), enCity and our partner Sasaki utilise the model of “Future Hub Living Lab”, which supports innovative start-ups and encourages community participation. Here, new technology and prototypes can be deployed to the public and tested early in their development, allowing the community to become part of the innovation process.
Expanding on enCity’s smart strategy in Thu Duc City, Dzung described optimisation of existing infrastructure, integration of technology into urban solutions and focusing on outcomes instead of technology to be of primary importance. The challenges he anticipates include sustainable funding options in light of competing cities and segmented data solutions due to fragmented ownership of services. He reiterated that “a good governance system will transform technology and smart solutions into social benefit”.
enCity also considers the need for ‘heartware’, along with software and hardware innate to the advancement of flourishing smart cities. This means technology should help enhance the urban experience, such as by assisting people in responding to changing conditions to strengthen resilience and protect their livelihoods, and by allowing people to have access to information, opportunities, and resources that will lead to an improved quality of life. In the end, technology should connect people with their communities to build social capital and make the cities “not just livable, but more lovable” (more enCity insights on smart cities can be found here).
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