Smart Cities in Asia Regulations, Problems, and Development
Asia Pacific, which makes up 60% of the world’s population, is emerging as a dynamic region in the world in terms of economic and technological growth. It is no surprise that Asian cities are also recognized as leaders in designing smart cities that harness digital information to improve operational efficiency. This chapter provides an overview of the subjects and jurisdictions that this book will cover, outlining its structure as well as the flow of the discussion. This book aims to provide audiences with an overview of smart cities in Asia from different perspectives. While the topic of Smart Cities in Asia: Regulations, Problems, and Development does not address all concerns and questions about smart cities in Asia, the discussions outline regulatory frameworks of some countries, addresses certain problems, and projects the development of smart cities in the region. The book also establishes a network of scholars and practitioners who are interested in researching smart cities. The editors and authors welcome all comments, suggestions, and initiatives promoting scholarship in this area. Asia Pacific, which makes up 60% of the world’s population, is emerging as a dynamic region in the world intermsof economic and technological growth (UNFPA, nd). Some countries in the region are leading performers in information and communication technology (ICT) indicators (UN ESCAP 2016). Also, East and North-East Asian countries contribute three-quarters of fixed broadband subscriptions in Asia (UN ESCAP2016,p.9). It is no surprise that Asian cities are also recognized as leaders in designing smart cities that harness digital information to improve operational efficiency, and this book attempts to provide an introduction to some of the context, challenges and developments around smart cities in a number of countries in the region. Singapore, for example, is a city that consistently is ranked as ‘one of the smartest cities’ around, with a unique approach to centrally housing massive amounts of information collected from its citizens with the government instead of with an individual company. Other countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam or Korea, have developed smart cities at different levels and overcame challenges related to creating smart cities in traditional urban settings. Vietnam, for example, applied the smart city concept to governing a historical center in an ancient capital while Thailand is building a smart tourist city on an island.
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