This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 11, 2024 - March 17, 2024
For more than two decades, Malaysia has been championing the development of smart cities to address congestion, pollution and inefficient deployment of urban services, yet progress has been painfully slow.
Limited financial resources, budget constraints, poor planning and execution as well as lack of clarity in rolling out solutions have long impeded the development of smart cities. Things can improve, however, with the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the deployment of 5G infrastructure.
It all boils down to proper and timely planning, says Mustapha Kamal Zulkarnain, CEO and founder of architect firm Arkitek Mustapha Kamal Sdn Bhd.
“With technology, we should be able to resolve the challenges of the development of smart cities but we usually fail to do so. We always focus on getting the technology right but almost always overlook other important aspects,” he says.
A smart city is one in which data and technology are put to work to improve the lives of citizens and visitors. There is no universal definition of a smart city and the concept varies by city and country, depending on the level of development.
At the same time, it is also influenced by the eagerness and aspiration of citizens and governments to implement change and reform, according to a report by Ernst & Young in 2022.
Dr Non Arkaraprasertkul, senior expert at the Digital Economy Promotion Agency Thailand, says: “First of all, smart cities should be citizen-centric, which means that smart cities are not a race track for who has better technologies to market. These are not places where you showcase that you have 10,000 sensors.”
Non stresses that cities are not just about technology but also about the people who live in them. A smart city is one that uses innovation, data and technology — rooted in local understanding and changing context — to shape more inclusive, liveable and sustainable urban environments that benefit its citizens and residents.
“You use sensors, computer vision cameras and Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring systems to reduce crimes and illegal activities. Technology has to serve the end-goal. That’s the first and most important pillar of smart cities that use technology deliberately for liveability,” he tells Digital Edge.
As a senior architect and designer of Thailand’s smart cities, Non observes that the number of smart cities in Thailand has grown from 27 to more than 100.
The key to developing smart cities is to evolve from being technology-driven to focusing on human-centric design, he says.
Cha-Ly Koh, CEO and founder of Urbanmetry, says the lack of basic infrastructure and connectivity, which has resulted in slow and weak decision-making, also hinders progress.
“Gathering and analysing data to make informed decisions for better city planning and resource management is important. While smart cities excel at gathering information, there remains a challenge in addressing the need for swift decision-making and timely solutions,” she says.
This falls back on trusting AI. It involves more than just relying on algorithms; it is about establishing a robust framework that ensures transparency, accountability and the ethical use of technology.
“Citizens need to be confident that the data-driven decisions made by AI are in their best interest and contribute to the greater good of the community,” says Koh.
Take, for instance, the integration of IoT devices with AI-driven traffic management systems. By analysing real-time traffic data and coordinating traffic signals, these systems can significantly reduce congestion, optimise transit efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This improvement will have a positive impact on the daily lives and commutes of citizens.
However, the issues persist beyond infrastructure and low internet latency, with cost identified as a notable and pressing challenge.
“Cost is always a hurdle. If we are going towards becoming a nation of intelligence, there has to be a financial structure in the country that supports the resilience of such infrastructure to have smart cities,” says Mustapha.
Smart-city projects often require substantial investment in technology, infrastructure and innovation. Private companies can bring in additional financial resources and share the burden of funding these initiatives.
“Public-private partnerships also need to happen as a mechanism to supply the liveability index,” says Non. “Private entities also often possess specialised knowledge and expertise in areas such as technology, data analytics and urban planning. Collaborating with them allows cities to tap into these skills and accelerate the implementation of smart solutions.”
Moreover, privacy and security concerns are also prevalent, notes Mustapha. Since smart cities’ ecosystems rely on IoT and central access points for different data, the vulnerability of the whole ecosystem is high.
“To solve privacy challenges, we must address issues holistically to ensure cyber attacks do not continuously plague the smart network. A technically suitable solution to guarantee the security of customers is adopting multifaceted identification systems,” he adds.
In addition, deploying emerging technologies relies on extensive data. Without proper public data, however, city developers and smart city planners struggle to come up with proper solutions.
“It’s difficult to even track what is being built next door. We have to wait the longest time for local councils or authorities to give us data. Nobody has our basic data on where our pipes are and how long our electric lines are. This should be public information,” says Koh.
“What is the point of having a digital twin of the KLCC but we do not know where our internet fibre runs? I would invest in the basics first. Right now, we don’t have the public data that tells me where my pipes are, and telcos still have to dig in the ground to find out where other people’s pipes are.”
These issues are expected to be addressed in MySmart Wilayah 2030, a blueprint for smart cities in federal territories that was unveiled last September. The initiative seeks to leverage digital technologies to enhance education, security, health, environmental quality and efficient transport and improve residents’ overall quality of life in designated smart cities.
At least five cities are targeted to be recognised as smart city early adopters by 2025, during the remaining 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) period.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has committed to transforming the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya into smart cities by 2030. With just a little more than five years to go, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor have started on pilot projects and industry development programmes to enhance the cities within their boundaries.
According to the 12MP’s Mid-Term Review (MTR) released by the Ministry of Economy last September, measures would be undertaken to accelerate the recognition of smart cities, based on the Sustainable Cities and Communities-Indicators for Smart Cities (MS ISO 37122:2019) standard.
Meanwhile, to fortify progress towards resilient cities, there will be a focus on promoting the implementation of the Environmentally-Friendly Drainage Master Plan to tackle challenges in urban areas prone to flooding.
According to the MTR, initiatives will be implemented to mitigate the effects of rapid urbanisation and climate change on cities.
“The effective implementation of action plans and the creation of smart, resilient and sustainable cities hinge on strong cooperation with the business sector. This can be possible only with good leadership, involvement of experts and skilled local talents,” says Mustapha.
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