Youth I.D.E.A.S. 34
Education and Innovation
Living with Innovative Technologies and Building a Smart City
26 September, 2018
Innovative technology (IT) is a driving force in worldwide economic development. As society continues to advance, application of IT in life is becoming more common, and of greater importance. For example, the invention of smartphone and electronic payment methods has brought huge change and increased convenience in daily life.
As ‘smart’ is increasingly replaced by ‘advanced’ in describing a society’s technological level, the term ‘Smart City’ has been used to describe ‘a city that widely applies IT in human life and society’ and has become a new development for many world-class cities. Singapore, for example, has launched a project called ‘Smart Nation’ aiming to stimulate economic development and raise the living standard of citizens[1] via technological reform and digitalization.
Following the global trend, the HKSAR government initiated the development of Hong Kong as a Smart City several years ago. Last year, the Innovation and Technology Bureau published the ‘Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint’. Focusing on ‘making use of IT to address urban challenges’, the Blueprint proposed six area headings[2] in pursuit of ‘embracing IT to build a world-famed Smart Hong Kong’.
To popularize the application of IT in daily life and to enable Hong Kong to develop into a Smart City, a thorough understanding and full support of IT is essential amongst its citizens, especially young people who are the major ‘users’. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how young people understand and perceive IT and the Smart City and what affects their willingness to apply IT in daily life.
Discussion
Recommendation
[1] ‘Smart Nation is about transforming Singapore through technology. We envision a Smart Nation that is a leading economy powered by digital innovation, and a world-class city with a Government that gives our citizens the best home possible and responds to their different and changing needs’. Smart Nation and Digital Government Office. (2018). ‘Why Smart Nation’. Retrieved September 19, 2018 from https://www.smartnation.sg/about/Smart-Nation
[2] Including Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government and Smart Economy.