2.4 Examples of smart cities

Smart Cities

and Buildings

Examples of smart cities

2.4

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Smart Cities

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In the previous lesson, we reviewed some generalities about Smart Cities, their components, technologies and challenges. In this lesson, we will review a specific case study that is worthy of analysis: Singapore.

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One of the most interesting facts about Singapore is that it became smart by necessity. Singapore is an island with a surface of 735.2 km2, which is the equivalent area of San Andrés Cholula, San Pedro Cholula and Puebla combined and a population of 6 million, equivalent to the entire population of the Puebla state. This means that Singapore has a high population density. It is a young country, independent since 1965.

Smart Cities

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In 1961, Singapore signed a 100-year agreement with the neighbourhooding Malaysia for importing water from the Johor River because they don’t have local water sources. With urbanization and increasing population, concerns around water security in Singapore prompted them to explore a solution. They implemented water desalination, stormwater storage and wastewater reuse to achieve self-sufficiency before 2061. The strategies that Singapore used to reach this objective were extrapolated to other objectives.

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Nowadays, Singapore has promoted a digital society, economy and government. The first pillar is materialized through making technology more accessible to the people, improving digital literacy, helping businesses and communities to adopt technologies and designing inclusive digital services. The second one consists of digitalizing industries, promoting competitiveness among companies and supporting the tech industry to be a development driver. Finally, Singapore is moving towards a complete e-government with 99% of government services being digital and ensuring that all public officers have basic digital literacy skills. Obviously, in parallel to these advancements, cybersecurity strategies were implemented and laws for data protection are enforced.

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The Strategic National Program of Singapore rests in eight projects: GoBusiness, CODEX, National Digital Identity, E-Payments, LifeSG, Smart Nation Sensor Platform, Punggol Smart Town and Smart Urban Mobility.

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GoBusiness essentially concentrates on two government services io two websites: Grants and licenses. Digital services save time for small and big companies and accelerate their process of instalment. In the same way, government services for other purposes are supported by the platform CODEX, saving time for citizens. They can also be tracked using a mobile app called Life SG and a National Digital Identity, which is like the INE Card in Mexico, but web-based. Also, paying for these services does not mean going to the bank because all payments are digital.

Smart Cities

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Interestingly, Singapore has a pilot “Smart District”, which is called Punggol, where a university was built next to a business park, enabling the interaction between them. Certainly, this requires that the district has residential areas with shared public spaces and high-tech facilities for entertainment and development. For mobility, Singapore has used big data for identifying commuting hotspots and optimize the use of buses. Contactless fare payment, which arrived in Mexico in 2024, was implemented in Singapore in 2017. Big data is used for the analytics of urban transportation and enhance transportation planning, trigger traffic alerts and optimize logistics. Also, they are exploring how to implement self-driving shuttles and enabling a hands-free ticketing technology.

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Smart Cities

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As we emphasized in the previous lesson, Smart Cities are not solely about technology, but also significantly about public participation. In that sense, Singapore has six different platforms for enhancing community engagement. One of them consists on helping co-citizens to use digital technologies and another one involves representing diverse groups for enhancing the inclusiveness of the services. There is also a platform for testing digital prototypes. Importantly, these initiatives provide opportunities for everyone, and the willingness of Singapore's citizens to engage reflects their strong political commitment to their country.

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Smart Cities

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In conclusion, Singapore serves as an example of how necessity drives innovation, transforming challenges into opportunities. With its high population density and limited resources, Singapore has successfully implemented advanced technologies in water management, digital society, digital economy and e-government, ultimately enhancing the life quality of its citizens. The Strategic National Program demonstrates the systemic approach that is required for connecting technology with public participation. The Singaporean experience underscores that the essence of a smart city lies not only in technological advancement but also in active civic engagement and good governance, setting a benchmark for other cities aiming to become smart.

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