To proponents of smart city development, the socio-economic benefits are clear: ranging from small everyday solutions, such as electronic transit cards, to broad initiatives to save the environment through smart energy and waste management programmes. At the same time, there is a big gap in communicating such benefits to residents.
In the survey of 2,000 citizens across 20 Asian cities conducted for this research programme, two-thirds (66%) say their main challenge in taking advantage of smart city development is the lack of information about existing initiatives. A similar number (65%) of respondents also don't think governments have done a good enough job in providing information about new smart city initiatives. (Figure 1)
82% of citizens want more smart city initiatives
"There are pockets of good communication initiatives," says Tony Newling, Asia government lead at Microsoft, who is based in Singapore, and cites the city-state as an example. "You need a broad channel strategy to reach all citizens and that's where I think Singapore does a good job." One particular aspect about reaching a broader audience is to use traditional means, such as radio, TV, magazines and newspapers. "Most people who are already online usually understand the impact of technology but many still rely on traditional media," explains Mr Newling. The imperative is therefore to bridge digital divides in terms of ICT access, knowledge and usage. Most citizens surveyed want more smart city initiatives (82%) but more needs to be done to provide information (56%) and highlight the value (52%) of initiatives in order to reach a wider population (Figure 2). This is one reason Singapore has several initiatives in this regard, including a programme targeting the elderly to enhance their ICT skills.1
Despite such efforts, however, challenges remain. Even in Singapore almost 5 in 10 (45%) of residents say they have problems in accessing information regarding smart city initiatives, although it fares better in this regard than other smart city front-runners, such as Hong Kong (70%), Taipei (58%) and Tokyo (49%). (Figure 3)
"…there is too much temptation to talk about [smart city] initiatives in technology terms rather than in terms of outcomes" - Tony Newling, Asia government lead at Microsoft
Reaching a broad audience is one part of the equation; the other is to properly explain benefits. Almost one-half (49%) of respondents are sceptical about the usefulness of existing smart city initiatives. (Figure 1) There are a few reasons why such a communications gap exists between governments and citizens regarding smart city initiatives, says Mr Newling. "One is that there is too much temptation to talk about initiatives in technology terms rather than in terms of outcomes," he says. "Governments need to be clear on what smart city initiatives mean to people." One way to accomplish this is to highlight simple projects that can still have a big impact on quality of life for residents, such as a rubbish collection app or a traffic app. It is one reason, says Mr Newling, that many governments focus on transportation to illustrate quick wins when issuing electronic transportation cards, security cameras, free WiFi, or other initiatives in which the impact is clear to residents.
Governments are far from the only stakeholder with an interest in communicating the benefits of smart city development. Microsoft, for instance, has supported a number of initiatives in the region to help stimulate citizen demand through open data. In Auckland, New Zealand, the company partnered with the local government on the use of open data to allow commuters to get better access to information. In Makassar and Sidoarjo, Indonesia, it has hosted both development festivals and hackathons to make use of data. "The idea is to get citizens involved and take pride in their city," explains Mr Newling. "We believe that the more data is available, the more we can all learn and benefit." The notion of involving citizens through open data to raise awareness about smart city development is an idea gaining momentum across the region. From Shanghai and Taipei to Bandung and Melbourne, such initiatives are increasingly seen as key elements to involve citizens and businesses in seizing the full benefits of smart cities.
All cities—regardless of the level of development of their smart city initiatives—struggle to communicate the existence and benefit of smart city initiatives to their citizens. (Figure 3) It is a tall challenge: survey takers in Yangon (58%), Tokyo (38%), Siem Reap (38%) and Seoul (34%) are the most likely in the region to say that their understanding of smart cities has not improved over the last three years, further highlighting the lack of progress governments have had to date.
This might be one reason that businesses are stepping in. If smart city initiatives are better communicated, then people are more likely to appreciate their value and be more open to further investment. "You need an underlying eco-system to support smart cities particularly of local business, academia, and innovators," says Mr Newling. "Once you have that and communicate it well, then citizen adoption will follow."
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