Smart City Final Report from Smark International

Contents
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... I
List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... II
Abbreviation .......................................................................................................................................... III
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................. V
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1
Overview ................................................................................................................................. 2
1.2
Structure of Report ................................................................................................................. 3
Study Goal and Objectives of the Final Report ............................................................................... 5
2.1
Study Goal ............................................................................................................................... 6
2.2
Objectives................................................................................................................................ 6
Methodology................................................................................................................................... 7
3.1
Study Process and Methodology ............................................................................................ 8
3.2
Phase ONE: Inception Report.................................................................................................. 9
3.3
Phase TWO: Working Paper .................................................................................................... 9
3.4
Phase THREE: Final Report .................................................................................................... 10
What is Smart City? ....................................................................................................................... 11
4.1
Defining Smart City ............................................................................................................... 12
4.2
Smart City Wheel .................................................................................................................. 14
Theoretical Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Smart City ......................................... 17
5.1
Challenges of Smart City ....................................................................................................... 18
5.2
Opportunities of Smart City .................................................................................................. 20
Local Policy and Review ................................................................................................................ 24
6.1
Current Smart City Related Strategies in Hong Kong ............................................................ 25
6.2
Challenges ............................................................................................................................. 32
6.3
Opportunities ........................................................................................................................ 36
7.
8.
9.
International Case Study ............................................................................................................... 39
7.1
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 40
7.2
Justifications.......................................................................................................................... 40
7.3
Summary of the Smart City Initiatives adopted in Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo .................. 41
7.4
Lessons .................................................................................................................................. 43
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................... 50
8.1
Vision & Objectives ............................................................................................................... 51
8.2
Strategy ................................................................................................................................. 52
8.3
Raise Living Quality ............................................................................................................... 55
8.4
Improve Economic Foundation ............................................................................................. 67
8.5
Support a Proactive Public Administration ........................................................................... 73
8.6
Encourage Regional Interaction ............................................................................................ 82
8.7
Roadmap ............................................................................................................................... 87
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 89
9.1
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 90
Reference .............................................................................................................................................. 92
Appendices................................................................................................................................................
List of Figures
Figure 1 Smart City @ Kowloon East....................................................................................................... 2
Figure 2 Study Progress........................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 3 Smart City Wheel .................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 4 Smart Nation initiative of Singapore ....................................................................................... 41
Figure 5 Smart Seoul ............................................................................................................................. 42
Figure 6 Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City ....................................................................................................... 42
Figure 7 Cross-sectoral Cooperation Process ....................................................................................... 48
Figure 8 Electronic Health Record Sharing System of Hong Kong ........................................................ 56
Figure 9 E-Med of United Kingdom....................................................................................................... 57
Figure 10 Standard Chartered Office in central with intelligent networks to save energy costs ......... 62
Figure 11 Waste reduction.................................................................................................................... 65
Figure 12 Waste-to-energy plant (incinerator) ..................................................................................... 65
Figure 13 Plasma gasification (process) ................................................................................................ 66
Figure 14 NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Center, with Tier 4 ready infrastructure . 68
Figure 15 Hong Kong Data Center, one of the Tier 3 data centres ....................................................... 68
Figure 16 Strategy I: Coworking space .................................................................................................. 69
Figure 17 The Information & Communications Technology Experience Centre, Singapore ................ 70
Figure 18 Current layout of data.gov.hk ............................................................................................... 75
Figure 19 Current layout of ozp.tpb.gov.hk .......................................................................................... 75
Figure 20 Aerial photo showing the Location of Lok Ma Chau Loop .................................................... 82
Figure 21 Kwu Tung North Development ............................................................................................. 83
Figure 22 Location of the Liantang Boarder Control Point ................................................................... 84
Figure 23 Siu Ho Wan ............................................................................................................................ 85
Figure 24 Roadmap ............................................................................................................................... 88
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List of Tables
Table 1 Smart Economy Initiatives........................................................................................................ 25
Table 2 Smart Environment Initiatives.................................................................................................. 26
Table 3 Smart Government Initiatives .................................................................................................. 27
Table 4 Smart Living Initiatives ............................................................................................................. 28
Table 5 Smart Mobility Initiatives ......................................................................................................... 29
Table 6 Smart People Initiatives ........................................................................................................... 30
Table 7 Smart Regional Initiatives......................................................................................................... 31
Table 8 The 10 Smartest Asia/Pacific Cities .......................................................................................... 40
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Abbreviation
A&E
AEA
API
ASE
ASEAN
BIM
BT
Accident & Emergency
Asian Entrepreneurship Award
Application Programming Interface
Asia Submarine-cable Express
The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations
Hong Kong Applied Science and
Technology Research Institute
Building Information Modelling
Biotechnology
GMP
GNSS
GT
GTO
HK203
0+
HKGC
C
HKPC
HKSTP
C
Green Master Plan
Global Navigation Satellite System
Green Technology
Government Technology Organisation
Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning
Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030
The Hong Kong General Chamber of
Commerce
Hong Kong Productivity Council
Hong Kong Science and Technology
Parks Corporation
CBD
Central Business District
HKU
The University of Hong Kong
CCMF
Cyberport Creative Micro Fund
HKUS
T
The Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology
CEDD
Civil Engineering and Development
Department
Continuing Education Fund
ICP
Internet Cache Protocol
ICSP
Information and Communication Service
Providers
Information and communication
technology
ASTRI
CEF
CEPA
The Mainland-Hong Kong Closer
Economic Partnership Arrangement
ICT
CGCC
The Chinese General Chamber of
Commerce
IDA
CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
ILP
Individual Learning Portfolio
CIPD
Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development
IMDA
Infocommunications Media Development
Authority
CLP
Infocommunications Development
Authority
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
iN2015
Intelligent Nation 2015
CPU
Central Policy Unit
PMO
Prime Minister’s Office
CSD
Census and Statistic Department
Private-Public Partnership
DCFU
Data Centre Facilitation Unit
PPP
PTI
EDB
Economic Development Board
IT
Information Technology
EFLS
ITB
Innovation and Technology Bureau
eHR
Environmentally Friendly Linkage
System
Electronic Health Record
ITBFL
Innovation and Technology Fund for
Better Living
EKEO
Energizing Kowloon East Office
ITC
Innovation and Technology Commission
EMS
Energy Management System
ITE
Institute of Technological Education
EPD
Environmental Protection
Department
Employment Programme for the
Middle-aged
ITF
Innovation and Technology Fund
ITFBL
Innovation and Technology Fund for
Better Living
ESS
Enterprise Support Scheme
ITS
Intelligent Transport System
EU
Europe Union
ITSF
Innovation and Technology Support
Fund
F&B
Food and Beverage
ITSP
Innovation and Technology Support
Programme
FCI
ITU
International Telecommunication Union
Fintech
The University of Tokyo Kashiwano-ha Campus Future Centre
Initiatives
Financial technology
JTC
JTC Corporation; formerly Jurong Town
Corporation
FRS
Fibre Ready Scheme
KCC
The Korea Communications Commission
GIS
Geographic Information System
MAS
Monetary Authority of Singapore
EPM
Productivity Training Institute
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MNC
Multi-national Corporation
STARS
Singapore Urban Transport Solution
Science, Technology, Engineering and
MOE
Ministry of Education
STEM
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding
SWC
Smart Work Centres
NENTND
A
North East New Territories New
Development Areas
TCFS
Guangdong – Hong Kong Technology
Cooperation Funding Scheme
NextGen
NBN
Next Generation National
Broadband Network
TD
Transport Department
NextGen
NII
Next Generation National Infocomm
Infrastructure
TEP
TX Entrepreneur Partners
NGO
Non-governmental organization
TIMS
Traffic and Incident Management
System
NSA
National Security Agency
TMA
Tokyo Metropolitan Area
NT
Nanotechnology
UGC
University Grant Council
NTU
Nanyang Technological University
UI
User interface
NUS
National University of Singapore
UICP
University-Industry Collaboration
Programme
O2O
P2P
Online-to-offline
UITP
Unified Internet Training Programme
Peer-to-peer
URA
Urban Redevelopment Authority
PMEs
Professionals, Managers and
Executives
UX
User experience
SMA
Seoul Metropolitan Area
WaterW
iSe
Water Wireless Sentinel
SMG
Seoul Metropolitan Government
WDA
Workforce Development Agency
SMP
Sectoral Manpower Plans
WIN
Water Intelligent Network
SNPO
Smart Nation Programme Office
YETP
Youth Employment and Training
Programme
SSG
SkillsFuture Singapore
Mathematics
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Executive Summary
This report defines Smart City as the utilisation of ICT and intelligent human resources to improve the
city’s overall efficiency and enhance the living quality of its citizens and suggests that the concept of
Smart City can serve as a policy option to promote the improvement in social, economic and
environmental aspects and resolving the existing urban issues.
The first part of the analysis provides a conceptual understanding of the idea of smart city and
identifies the theoretical challenges and opportunities. The literature review has pointed out that
privacy invasion, oligopoly and cyber vulnerability are considered to be the key challenges in smart
city development. Meanwhile, the benefits of smart city development can bring about effective city
management, enhancing city resilience and improvement of city competitiveness.
Evaluation of the local context was conducted in the second part. Hong Kong has shown positive
developments in promoting technological innovation in recent years. There are three major
characteristics of local policy, including an expanding range of initiatives, promotion of a new
economic order and nurturing ICT-based talents. Notwithstanding these trends, it is important to
consider that smart city development in Hong Kong is still in its early stage. By reviewing the local
context, the challenges and opportunities in Hong Kong’s smart city development are also identified.
There are five challenges that include: a lack of clear policy direction, low input in the R&D,
bureaucratic tradition, a lack of regulatory adjustment and inactive partnership between public and
private sectors. Meanwhile, three opportunities are identified, including solid technological
foundation, enlargement of talent base and increasing regional cooperation.
In addition, the case studies of smart city development in different international cities has been
conducted in which five key lessons were drawn, namely: the provision of a structured and
comprehensive strategy, solid foundation for ICT industry, establishing cross-sectorial cooperation
and making relevant regulatory adjustment.
Based on the review of the local context and international practices, the study develops a policy vision
of smart city: “Liveable Intelligent Metropolis - Towards a Smarter Hong Kong” In order to achieve
this vision, the study also develops a strategy known as “RISE”: Raising living quality, improving
economic foundation, supporting a proactive public administration and encourage regional
cooperation:
R - Raise living quality: a series of quality-of-life-enhancing measures such as promoting health ageing,
enhancing quality of public health service, promoting smart transport system, and introducing
sustainable waste and energy management.
I - Improve economic foundation: a series of economic competitiveness-building measures such as
cultivating the development of ICT industries, establishing more data centres and work-places,
nurturing talents.
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S - Support a proactive public administration: a series of governance-building measures for
developing smart city, such as organizing an advisory committee, reforming the existing legal and
regulatory measures
E - Encourage regional cooperation: a series of regional collaborative measures to strengthen the
synergy between mainland, especially Pearl River Delta, such as developing cross-boundary spatial
projects and promoting cross-boundary trading in innovation economy.
The above suggestions are based on the challenges that Hong Kong is facing in its smart city
development and on the policy experiences of international cases. All these strategies carry
implications for different stakeholders, likes the general public, the government and the private sector.
These strategies have to be carried out on a gradual and continuous basis. The hope is that these
strategies can create a new and better Hong Kong.
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Source: InfiSIM, 2016
1. Overview
1|Page
1.1
Overview
1.1.1
In recent years, many global cities have started exploring the possibilities of employing
technological innovations to address the social, environmental and economic aspects of cities. City
authorities have started to map out their smart city strategies and plans in order to enhance the
quality of life and economic competitiveness. Hong Kong, being one of these global cities, has had
a rather long policy discussion on its smart city development. As early as 1998, the Hong Kong
Government published the first Digital 21 Strategy which set out the blueprint for the expansion of
information
and
communications
technology (ICT). Recently, a detailed
study which identifies the challenges
and opportunities of turning Hong
Kong into a smart city was published by
the Central Policy Unit (CPU, 2015)
while the Kowloon East District is
proposed as a pilot area to test the
feasibility of developing Hong Kong
into a Smart City. These policy
documents and government initiatives
emphasised the need for Hong Kong to
harness the opportunities brought
about by technological advancement
in order to enrich quality of life and
enhance productivity.
1.1.2
Figure 1 Smart City @ Kowloon East
Source: Energizing Kowloon East Office
While the idea of smart city has been mentioned in Hong Kong’s policy agenda for a relatively short
period of time, a comprehensive policy research which can provide an in-depth study of the
opportunities and challenges involved, and also a set of evidence-based policy recommendation
under the local context are still missing. A study to fill up this knowledge gap is needed. This report
has three specific purposes. It offers a consolidated overview about the existing initiatives carried
out by different world cities, accounts for the existing achievements and obstacles in Hong Kong in
its course of smart city development, and develops a comprehensive development vision and
strategy for the metropolis.
1.1.3
This report is divided into four major parts. The first part aims to provide a comprehensive review
of the concept of “smart city”. The second part will audit the current development and related
policies to figure out the challenges and opportunities faced by Hong Kong in its smart city
development. The third part will offer an overview about the overseas experience in relation to
smart city development; it is hoped that this section can provide experience and insights which
Hong Kong can learn from. Based on the preceding parts, the fourth part aims to develop a holistic
development strategy including both spatial and non-spatial implications that help Hong Kong to
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be better prepared for further developments. Policy recommendations and justifications will be
provided to support this proposed development strategy.
1.2
Structure of Report
1.2.1
The structure of report is as following:
Section 1 provides the introduction to the report.
Section 2 introduces the study goal and objective of the report.
Section 3 provides the methodology and related details of the paper.
Section 4 offers a comprehensive review on the concept of Smart City.
Section 5 evaluates the theoretical challenges and opportunity brought by Smart City.
Section 6 review on local context and point out the opportunity and challenge.
Section 7 presents the findings from international case studies.
Section 8 recommends the Smart City development strategies.
Section 9 summarises the report findings.
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2.
Study Goal and Objectives of the Final Report
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2.1
Study Goal
2.1.1
The concept of the Smart City has recently gained global attraction. In order to seize the
opportunities presented by this new paradigm and to manage future uncertainties and risks, this
study will explore tangible and intangible qualities of the concept in order to seize opportunities
and manage challenges with regards to the local context. Through an in-depth investigation, the
aim is to provide insights for facilitating the formulation of policy strategies and spatial
development plans which will assist Hong Kong in becoming a smart city.
2.2
Objectives
2.2.1
To achieve the study goal of formulating smart city planning policy suggestions and spatial
development plans, several objectives have been created. They are as follows:
a
To identify and review the relevant government planning and development initiatives in
transforming Hong Kong into a Smart City.
b
To examine and analyse the opportunities and obstacles in applying the Smart City
concept in Hong Kong.
c
To investigate and explore relevant international Smart City case studies.
d
To recommend and propose feasible planning strategies and solutions for the Smart City
concept in the local context.
e
To suggest regional smart city initiatives with cities in the Pearl River Delta Region.
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3.
Methodology
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3.1
Study Process and Methodology
3.1.1
The diagram below indicates the work flow, including the specific tasks involved and deliverables
generated. This section outlines the tasks completed and key findings in the Inception Report and
the Working Paper, as well as provides a detailed methodology of this Report.
Figure 2 Study Progress
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3.2
Phase ONE: Inception Report
3.2.1
As part of the Inception Report, the team set the goal, objectives and formulated the approaches
to be used in this study. In the Report, desktop research on literatures and key terminologies was
carried out. The team critically reviewed academic papers and related publications on the concept
of Smart City, including more specific concepts such as Smart Working, Smart Living and Smart
Public Services, and other related concepts namely sustainable development, smart growth, Big
Data/IoT, digital city and city resilience. Desktop research is also significant for studying planning
strategies and policies in Hong Kong. Hence, the team identified and reviewed relevant documents
related to developing Hong Kong into a smart city. In addition, a set of proposed interview
questions has been drafted.
3.3
Phase TWO: Working Paper
3.3.1
Following the framework set in the Inception Report, the Working Paper started with a thorough
analysis on the local policy and have then identified the local opportunities and challenges. The
observation and roles on different stakeholders have also been addressed. Afterwards, the Team
focused on analysing the implementation in Smart Working in the local and international context,
followed by in-depth quantitative and qualitative studies to investigate into the factors leading to
the phenomenon, while the other two sub teams worked on Smart Public Services and Smart Living.
Desktop research, field study, individual interviews and focus group discussions have been
conducted, the details are as follows:
3.3.2
Desktop research: Initial desktop research is conducted to identify publications relevant to the
Paper. Firstly, academic publications and consultancy reports are reviewed in order to construct
the conceptual background of the study. A multi-disciplinary approach is adopted in identifying the
relevant materials. Secondly, an in-depth international case studies on Singapore, Tokyo
Metropolitan Area (TMA) and Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) had been conducted to highlight the
lessons learnt from their practices on Smart City development. Meanwhile, the other teams
conducted case studies on Barcelona and cities with the Pearl River Delta (PRD).
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3.3.3
Field study: A 5-day exploratory field study was conducted in Singapore from 6th March to 10th
March 2016. The purpose of the field study is to develop a first-hand understanding about the
implementation of Smart City initiatives in the urban context. In the course of the field study,
selected institutions and companies involved in Smart City development were visited, namely
Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA), iExperience
by Infocommunications Development Authority (IDA), Future Cities Laboratory by National
University of Singapore (NUS), Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd., and Sopra Steria Singapore. 3.3.4
Individual interviews: The individual interviews were conducted between 2nd March 2016 and 24th
March 2016. Interviews involve asking questions which allow the researchers to gather first-hand
information about a particular issue or phenomenon (Warren, 2004). In this study, individual openended interviews were conducted with the interviewees from different sectors and industries.
They shared valuable experiences and views towards the concepts of Smart City.
3.3.5
Focus group discussions: To solicit further views from different stakeholders, two rounds of focus
group discussions were conducted on 13th March 2016 and 16th March 2016 respectively. Focus
groups are intended to create an opportunity for participants to discuss on a topic that is assigned
by the researchers (Morgan, 2008). In this study, structured focus group discussions were
conducted in order to understand the local working culture. The collected views from these
informants contributed significantly to an in-depth understanding on the current working
environment and culture in Hong Kong
3.4
Phase THREE: Final Report
3.4.1
In the Final Report, the team will briefly recap and summarises the research analysis from
complementary Working Papers, including Smart Public Services, Smart Working and Smart Living.
3.4.2
A comparative analysis and highlighted lesson learnt from international best practices of five cities,
including three studied cities, Barcelona and cities with PRD, will be conducted to provide
references for the proposal.
3.4.3
Finally, based on the analysis of the information gathered in the Inception Report and Working
Paper, a clear vision statement for the development of Hong Kong into a Smart City will be set out,
and feasible strategies and measures focusing on living, economy, public administration and
regional cooperation will be formulated for the preparation of the future strategic planning in Hong
Kong.
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4.
What is Smart City?
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4.1
Defining Smart City
4.1.1
Cities are complex structures made up of various elements, including people, activities, and
infrastructure. As more and more of the world’s population migrate into cities in search of better
employment opportunities, extended social connections and higher standard of living; the onus is
on cities to reinvent themselves to accommodate such social pursuit, hence drive the introduction
of the smart city concept.
4.1.2
The notion of Smart City has become increasingly popular in recently as we observe a fundamental
shift in the way cities are planned. But what exactly are smart cities comprised of? How do we
define such a seemingly simple term?
4.1.3
Smart cities are often associated with the ubiquitous and pervasive implementation of ICT within
the city. However ICT alone does not automatically make a city smart. IBM’s definition of a smart
city includes three characteristics: instrumented, interconnected and intelligent (Dirks & Keeling,
2009). Instrumented refers to the sources in which real-time data can be captured from the world
around us. These sources can be located either in the physical world (i.e. traffic information,
microclimate, etc.) or in virtual space (i.e. online user patterns, social media, etc.). Data collected
via networks and various information technology (IT) systems across various agencies, both public
and private, to improve the management of city services is known as interconnected. Together,
these aspects extend the city beyond its physical infrastructure to include the nascent urban virtual
domain (Harrison et al., 2010).
4.1.4
Furthermore, instrumented and interconnected data must be intelligently analysed. The data
which has been collected and combined, must provide new insights that can help improving
services provision, for example, making use of intelligent visual modelling or optimization services
to help planning a more efficient route for emergency vehicles. While comprehensive in defining
the IT characteristics of a smart city, this definition fails to address an important component of all
cities, people.
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4.1.5
People bring life into the city. It is human activities that shape the city which in turn shapes us. This
is especially true in a smart city, where the presence of a creative class is just as important as the
implementation of ICT infrastructure. The creative class consists of innovative, creative and
entrepreneurial citizens who use ICT within the city, as a means for, “mobilising and realising ideas
and innovations” (Florida, 2004; Kitchin, 2014). By doing so, seeking to improve the quality of life.
Furthermore, a knowledge-based economy emerges which is founded upon a neo-liberal approach
to city governance and development that encourages the adoption of market-led, technological
solutions (Kitchin, 2014; Hollands, 2008). Smart cities therefore represent a shift in urban
governance to a more entrepreneurial form, that is being shaped by big corporations (Hollands,
2008).
4.1.6
A sustainable approach is part and parcel of the smart city notion. Our planet has finite resources,
therefore smart cities must be able to address the social and economic needs of its citizens while
respecting the environment. Additionally, this must be addressed in a manner that does not
compromise future generations (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987;
Mori & Chistodolou, 2012). While the previous components work together to create a socially and
economically sustainable smart city, environmental sustainability is also just as important. As
Zygiaris (p.219, 2013) suggests, “Technological breakthroughs, people, and innovation processes
build upon green city to bring a sustainable future. Conclusively, green economy rationalises the
decision for smart city investments. Therefore smart cities are intrinsically linked to the green city
concept in which Green city initiatives provide the foundations which ICT can work towards
creating a more environmentally friendly future.
Conclusion
4.1.7
Altogether, the aforementioned elements are essential components of the current smart city
paradigm. ICT is the face of smart cities, it is what people most commonly associate with the
concept and to a certain extent, it is what ties the various components of the smart city together.
The emergence of a creative class among the smart city’s citizens can take advantage of the
advances in ICT and technology to improve the quality of lives and adopt said advances as a tool
for creation and innovation. Citizen empowerment has also led to a new political economy where
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market-led, technological solutions have become the norm. In addition, environmental
sustainability is a key motivator in the Smart city concept. Increased awareness for future
generations have been embedded in the urban fabric and thus forces smart cities to also be
sustainable. With all these elements in mind, smart city incorporates the ubiquitous and pervasive
implementation of ICT, which allows creative class citizens to utilize such technology to not only
improve the quality of life, but to create a new economy. With this in mind we define our Smart
City as one which, “involves the utilisation of ICT and intelligent human resources to improve the
city’s overall efficiency and enhance the living quality of its citizens. All of this is to be achieved in
a sustainable manner that respects the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and
environmental”.
4.2
Smart City Wheel
4.2.1
The path towards building smart cities is never without challenges. A suitable framework helps
benchmark cities in the development process, and also identifying challenges and opportunities
(Cohen, 2012).
4.2.2
The Smart City Wheel suggested by Boyd Cohen (2012) has commonly been adopted by scholars
and institutes in formulating and evaluating smart city development strategies (CPU, 2015). Smart
Environment, Smart Government, Smart Living, Smart Mobility and Smart People were identified
as the six key components of Smart City and is now commonly known as the Smart City Wheel. Key
tasks and aims of smart city development in many world cities have been proposed according to
these key components.
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Figure 3 Smart City Wheel
Source: Cohen, 2012
4.2.3
As indicated in the Wheel, a smart city shall embrace development in the following six key
components:
4.2.4
Smart Economy - Innovation, entrepreneurship, productivity and international appeal are
important factors in achieving smart economy. And the stimulation of these
factors can strengthen the flexibility, attractiveness and competitiveness of
the city. (Amsmarterdam City, n.d.)
4.2.5
Smart Environment - A smart city should strike a balance between
planning for growth and resources conservation (Smart Brantford, n.d.).
Technologies are adopted in green urban planning to promote green
environment. The technology use also involves the effective management of
resources to achieve environmental sustainability (CPU, 2015).
4.2.6
Smart Government - The communication between government and citizens are strengthened
through the use of new online platforms, such as ‘e-governance/ or ‘edemocracy’ (Giffinger, et al., 2007). They enhance the accountability,
transparency and responsiveness of government, and thus be able to address
the community needs and aspirations effectively (Central Policy Unit, 2015).
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4.2.7
Smart Living - Quality of life and living environment are emphasized, which include but not limited
to health, safety, culture tourism, education, housing etc. (Giffinger, et al., 2007)
Interactions between people and with the environment are enhanced through
technologies and online platforms to bring upon a healthy, vibrant and balanced
lifestyle. (Central Policy Unit, 2015).
4.2.8
Smart Mobility - A smart city shall be accessible by residents and visitors. Transport system linked
with ICT infrastructure and open data can provide a comfortable, efficient,
multifaceted and safe environment (Amsmarterdam City, n.d.). On top of
infrastructural development, the software also plays a key role.
4.2.9
Smart People - Smart people refers to the social and human capital
of the city. The capital is not only limited to the education and level of
qualification of people, but also refers to the quality of interactions, such as
participation in daily activities, openness towards other places, integration with
society etc. (Giffinger, et al., 2007).
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5.
Theoretical Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Smart City
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5.1
Challenges of Smart City
5.1.1
Smart City is not a flawless concept. There are certain limitations that are worth considering before
formulating related strategies and policies.
Privacy Invasion
5.1.2
Privacy invasion, is considered as the most noticeable
problem of smart city. One of the major characteristics of a smart city
is to make good use of big data collected from various channels for
institutional and organisational purposes, including technocratic
governance, economic and policy development, and citizen
engagement in the development of smart city. Big data is thus
regarded as “essential constitute material to realising a smart city
vision” (Kitchin, 2014, P. 2). Smart city ,emphasising the collection of
big data and widespread adoption of different intelligent appliance, may help improve quality of
life and urban development, yet it can possibly bring citizens under strict observation and scrutiny,
altering the cityscape into a “panoptical environment” (Neirotti, De Marco, Cagliano, Mangano,
Scorrano, 2014, p.34). Big data, comprising of personal and private information, may become the
“troubling manifestation of Big Brother” (Boyd & Crawford, 2012, P. 664), allowing authorities to
deprive citizens’ freedom and uplift state control. Kitchin (2014) further interpreted the data
control centres, which are responsible for binding fragmented data into an organised system, as
tools to facilitate the surveillance by the authorities. The data collected and recorded by the
authorities are usually kept for a long period of time, resulting in a long-term surveillance and
dataveillance (Dodge & Kitchin, 2007a).
5.1.3
Public suspicions have been aroused about the real intention of the institutions and organisations
for collecting data from individuals after numerous incidents of misuse of privacy-related data. For
instance, the US government halted the controversial untold surveillance on mobile data
containing the phone records of millions of Americans in 2015 after it was revealed two years prior
in 2013 by Edward Snowden, a former employee of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), revealing
documents from National Security Agency (NSA) (SCMP, 2015b).
Increase of City Vulnerability
5.1.4
Cities can become vulnerable due to a greater reliance on
technology. Smart City heavily depends on software and the Internet
for operation and management. With rapid development of
technology, the Internet gradually replaces the real world. Townsend
(2013, Ch.3) expressed his hesitation on code/space (intangible
space created in the world constructed by software and computer
programmes allowing people interactions and communication) that
software and systems are highly insecure since they are in nature
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buggy and open to failure, and thus smart city being inherently vulnerable and easily destructible.
Failure can be caused by numerous types of cyberattacks, including unauthorised system shutdown
by external forces, alteration of systems and contained information, and data extraction from the
system banks (Kitchin, 2015). An inherent fragility is created by a reliance on code/space in which
the city can be easily paralysed when errors occur. This cast doubts on whether Smart City can
really help construct a more resilient and secure urban space.
Aggravation of Oligopoly
5.1.5
Advocacy of the smart city concept may also be hampered as
it can possibly bring about unfavourable oligopolies. Smart city is
supposed to welcome the participations of technological companies of
any scale, from small individual firms to transnational giants, and the
development of ICT. However, in reality, the technological
development vital for the realisation of building smart cities are
dominated and controlled by a few multi-national technology
corporations whom also happen to be the biggest supporters of Smart City concept (Hollands, 2008,
p.314; Kitchin, 2012, p.10). Developing smart city to boost domestic economic development and
offer local job opportunities may be an over-optimistic idea by the government since the
transnational technological companies are highly mobile (Schiller, 2000, Ch 2). Kitchin (2012)
suggested that smart city was indeed “an underlying neoliberal ethos” (P.2) which fortified marketled solutions for urban governance and promoted more capital accumulation by adopting ideas
mainly from the giant business. Greenfield (2013, Ch. 1) criticised the governance of smart city for
being openly influenced by corporations for their own benefits, consequently they were found to
less effectively improve the urban space. Moreover, once urban governance begins to depend on
corporations, undoing the accustomed practice will prove to be extremely challenging (Bates,
2012).
Intensification of Social Polarisation
5.1.6
Smart City development is also criticised as the cause of splintering
urbanism. Splintering urbanism refers to economic and social
polarisation of urban places (Graham and Marvin, 2004, p. 343).
More than influencing economic and social aspects, smart cities
could also produces clearer cultural and spatial segregations
between the knowledge community and IT illiterates who are
usually the underprivileged groups (Hollands, 2008, p.314). This may
result in a digital divide as the differences in skills and understanding
among the population in accessing and applying digital technologies lead to the polarisation of the
population (Van Dijk, J., & Hacker, K, 2003). The impact of the smart cities goes beyond generating
inequalities of work and housing. Social polarisation caused by Smart City may further result in
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creating unjust city space. Eventually, unskilled citizens will gradually be excluded from the smart
city altogether.
5.1.7
Identifying the pitfalls of Smart City can remind us to thoroughly consider the limitations of the
concept when drafting plans. The concepts can be realised more comprehensively when the
possible loopholes are tackled.
5.2
Opportunities of Smart City
5.2.1
Notwithstanding the potential limitations, Smart City is still widely advocated and practiced by
many cities since it provides various opportunities for urban development. In other words, smart
city development benefits cities from numerous aspects, ranging inpolitical to educational aspects.
Efficient City Management
5.2.2
One of core aims of Smart City, increasing the efficiency of
management and administration by adopting technologies can be
evidently observed in city management. In contrast with the
traditional way of city management, which is time-consuming and
tedious, Smart City management is efficient and responsive
(Washburn, 2014).
5.2.3
The most prominent change is the use of real-time data. City governments are keen on analysing
real-time data to investigate how a city operates and thus seek better management measures
(Kitchin, 2014). Real-time data could assist city management in various aspects, including
transportation, water resources and security. By collecting data through different means such as
online platforms, sensors and cameras, the city’s real-time conditions can be monitored without
the physical presence of human actors at the locations (Dodge and Kitchin, 2007b).
Enhance City’s Resiliency
5.2.4
Smart City could also strengthen the city’s resiliency and its
capability of tackling urban problems. Smart cities make use of realtime data to reduce damages caused by unfavourable conditions
(Kitchin, 2014). For instance, the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
launched the Rio Operation Centre in a citywide smart data analytic
centre, which collects and monitors various real-time data including
traffic, weather, emergency service and utility provision (IBM, 2011).
The Rio de Janeiro police and other emergency services could promptly analyse the existing
conditions by studying the real-time data collected, in order to manage accidents more efficiently
and decrease losses (Singer, 2012).
5.2.5
Real-time data and advanced technologies can also be applied to predict possible hazards through
scenario modelling, allowing cities to take proactive responses (Haque, 2012). The Rio Operation
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Centre also could also forecast potential hazards including landslides and flooding, tin which the
results were publicised to related government departments and citizens. The new forecasting and
emergency alert system allow the city be well-prepared to the expected disasters and enabled
prompt and proactive action (IBM, 2011).
5.2.6
Enhancement of the city’s capability to handle urban problems and challenges is another merit of
Smart City. Prominent urban challenges, such as ageing population and climate change are hoped
to be alleviated through the utilisation of technological innovations (Lee, Hancock & Hu, 2014). For
instance, ageing population are a common phenomenon of more developed cities and hence
create huge burdens on society. By adopting smart city strategies, the problems brought by ageing
population could, to a certain extent, be mitigated and minimised by technological advancement.
An improved healthcare technology and emergency system can also provide better care of elderly
through the provision of efficient and cost-saving services (Washburn, 2014).
5.2.7
Smart City does not only contribute to minimising the harm from increasing natural hazards by
analysis of real- time data, but it also helps to mitigate climate change proactively. Technological
innovations can effectively lower the adverse impacts of human activities on the environment. For
instance, Pamlin (2008) points out that due to the improvement of telecommunication technology
and proper policy support, vehicular usage in the Unites States and many European countries have
been reduced, which in turn reduces the use of gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions (Pamlin,
2008).
Enhance City’s Competitiveness
5.2.8
Smart City development could enhance economic competitiveness
through nurturing technological innovations and ICT industries.
Technological advancement brings a more flexible and efficient
working and business operational environment which can help
eliminating costs and increase profit. Moreover, since the city’s
competitiveness is mainly driven by innovation and creativity (Bakıcı,
Almirall & Wareham, 2013). Smart City stresses on the importance the
development of ICT, innovative and R&D industries in the (Cohen, 2012). New industries cultivated
by smart cities development could gradually emerge as a significant force to enhance city
competitiveness.
5.2.9
Moreover, one of the most considerable challenges of city development is to strike a balance
between enhancing competitiveness and achieving sustainability (Herrschel, 2013). Smart City
which stresses on the development of ICT industries may be able to assist city to achieve such a
balance (Paskaleva, 2011). Europe 2020, a vision set by the European Commission (2010),
emphasises that economic development shall be smart, inclusive and sustainable. These aims could
be achieved by focusing on the development of knowledge and innovative industry, promoting a
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greener, more competitive, resource-efficient economy and fostering a stronger social and
territorial connectedness (European Commission, 2000).
Encourage Public Participation
5.2.10
Public engagement, which is vital for a city’s
development, could be greatly fostered by adopting smart city
initiatives, through improving collaborations and cooperations
between government and citizens (Haque, 2012). The enhanced
data openness emphasised by Smart City could facilitate public
engagement and promote social interaction (Lee, Hancock & Hu,
2014).
Enhance Quality of Education
5.2.11
Smart City development facilitates education through the use of
technology innovations. Increased information flow brought by
smart city development could encourage the creation of various
educational materials, improvement of education experience
and reduction of education cost (Washburn, 2014). For instance,
Boston, has incorporated the promotion of the 21 Century
st
Learning Programme to allow students and citizens obtaining a
more convenient, life-long and integrated learning experiences
(Department for Business Innovation and Skills, 2013). The Programme consists of several
measures, for example, Boston One Card which permits the Boston Public School students to
access rich educational resources at schools, community centres and libraries, aiming to “provide
seamless educational opportunities for young people” (p.29). The long-term cost of education can
be lessened by adopting technology innovations to education. Moreover, social barriers could be
reduced and learning motivations could be enhanced by applying technological innovations (Bakıcı,
Almirall, & Wareham, 2013; Nam and Tardo, 2011).
Better Resource Management
5.2.12
Resource management possess as a prominent
challenge for all cities. Desirable strategies and technologies which
could reduce resource consumption and achieve high resourceefficiency are greatly welcomed by cities (Washburn, 2014). By
applying smart technologies, resources including water, food,
electricity and other materials can be better monitored and
allocated.
5.2.13
Numerous cities have been implementing “smart grid”, a smart system which helps accurately
monitor the resources, mainly water and electricity. By connecting to various sensors, data bank
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and other systems, smart grid would be able to record and reduce resource consumptions by
analysing the consumption pattern (U.S. Department of Energy, n.d.). For instance, Malta has
adopted the concept of smart grid by integrating Smart Computing technologies into the water and
power management systems, hence electricity losses and water leaks could be effectively reduced.
In this respect, citizens and businesses could monitor the consumptions and effectively adjust the
usage pattern accordingly (Washburn et.al, 2014).
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6.
Local Policy and Review
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6.1
Current Smart City Related Strategies in Hong Kong
6.1.1
Government plays a major role in initiating Smart City strategies in Hong Kong. A brief description
of local policies and strategies on Smart City development is illustrated according to the six major
components of Smart City, namely Smart Economy, Smart Environment, Smart Government, Smart
Living, Smart Mobility and Smart People in this section (Cohen, 2012). Regional initiatives will also
be identified.
6.1.2
Smart Economy -With respect to Smart Economy initiatives, Hong Kong has achieved high-end
manufacturing, financial support for start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and
infrastructural support.
Table 1 Smart Economy Initiatives
“Re-industrialisation”
To promote smart production and develop high-end manufacturing, reindustrialisation would be a potential source of economic growth in
Hong Kong in the coming years (HKSAR, 2016a).
Initiatives on Hong
HKSTPC located in Tai Po is promoting smart production and research.
Kong Science and
Besides, it will be further developed in different stages, providing an
Technology Parks
additional floor area of 70,000 square metres for start-ups and other
Corporation (HKSTPC)
technology companies by 2020 (HKSAR, 2016b).
Initiatives on Cyberport
The number of incubation scheme quotas and the provision of coworking spaces are increased to cater for the developmental needs for
the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
Cyberport Creative Macro Fund (CCMF) is launched to provide financial
assistances to ICT start-ups (HKSAR, 2016a).
Initiatives on helping
The Government has introduced multiple measures to support SMEs,
SMEs
including extending the application period for the “special concessionary
measures”, reducing the annual guarantee fee rate by 10 percent and
removing the minimum guarantee fee (HKSAR, 2016b).
Innovation and
The Government has embarked HK$2 billion to set up funding to co-
Technology Venture
invest with the private venture capital to support the local technological
Fund
start-ups with private venture capital (HKSAR, 2016a).
Innovation and
ITSP supports midstream and downstream research and development
Technology Support
(R&D) projects conducted mainly by universities, industry support
Programme (ITSP)
organisations, R&D centres and trade and industry associations, etc. (ITF,
2016).
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6.1.3
Smart Environment - With regard to Smart Environment, the focus areas include sustainable urban
planning, smart buildings and resources management.
Table 2 Smart Environment Initiatives
Sustainable Urban
Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending
Planning
2030 (HK2030+) promulgated in 2007 has set sustainable development as
the overall objective (CPU, 2015).
Greening Master Plan
(GMP)
GMP serves as a guide for the planning, design and implementation of
greening in all districts (Civil Engineering and Development Department
(CEDD), 2015).
Hong Kong Blueprint
Hong Kong Blueprint for Sustainable Use of Resources was issued in 2003
for Sustainable Use of
to set out clear goals and a 10-year timeline for the resource management
Resources
strategy of Hong Kong (CPU, 2015).
Water Intelligent
The Government has iinstalled sensors in water supply networks to
Network (WIN)
reduce the risks of main bursts and leakages, thereby ensuring the
efficient use of freshwater resources (HKSAR, 2016b).
Building Information
The Government has introduced BIM on a pilot basis for generating a
Modelling (BIM)
three-dimensional digital representation of building data throughout the
life cycle of a building (HKHA, 2012).
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6.1.4
Smart Government - Smart Government should provide strategic plans to promote Smart City,
online public services, transparency and accessibility of information, and online data to the general
public.
Table 3 Smart Government Initiatives
Innovation and
ITB was established in 2015 to formulate a holistic framework and
Technology Bureau
policies for the development of Smart City (HKSAR, 2016a).
(ITB)
GovHK
GovHK is a government information portal and public service platform
to facilitate citizens to obtain information on various kinds of public
services and activities, make appointments for documents and licence
applications and pay government bills, etc. (CPU, 2015).
Geospatial Information
Lands Department has developed the Geospatial Information Hub and
Hub and GeoInfo Map
GeoInfo Map to provide accessible information to facilitate spacial
analysis and assessment by various government departments and the
general public respectively (CPU, 2015).
data.gov.hk
data.gov.hk is a one-stop online portal to provide various digitised open
data to facilitate value-added reuse by the public and enterprises (CPU,
2015).
Data Centre Facilitation
Founded in 2011, DCFU provides one-stop helpdesk service and helps
Unit (DCFU)
liaising with other government departments for attracting and assisting
operators to set up data centres in Hong Kong (OGCIO, 2011).
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6.1.5
Smart Living - In the Smart Living domain, the Government has offered support to enhance the
quality of life of citizens by providing an environment that could facilitate improvement on public
health and with easily accessible Internet connection facilities.
Table 4 Smart Living Initiatives
Free Wi-Fi hotspots
Free Wi-Fi hotspots make it easier for citizens and visitors to access free
Wi-Fi, the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots will be extended to 34,000 within
three years. For instance, the provision of public transport interchanges,
public housing estates, tourist locations and parks, with enhanced speed
and security (HKSAR, 2016a).
Innovation and
ITFBL will be set up to finance projects that have employed innovation and
Technology Fund for
technology, hoping to improve the quality of life of citizens (CPU, 2015).
Better Living (ITFBL)
R&D on healthcare
Research and development on biotechnology, healthcare and medicine
remain as the key focuses of the HKSTPC to help alleviate the burden
possess by the healthcare system and to promote healthy ageing (CPU,
2015).
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6.1.6
Smart Mobility - Smart Mobility covers three major aspects, namely traffic information systems,
green modes of public transport and efficient logistics systems.
Table 5 Smart Mobility Initiatives
“Walkable Kowloon
The Government has launched the pilot project of “Walkable Kowloon
East”
East” to improve the local pedestrian and traffic environment, thus
enhancing pedestrian and vehicular access by using technology such as
Environmentally Friendly Linkage System (EFLS) (Energizing Kowloon
East Office (EKEO), 2012).
Area Traffic Control
To manage all traffic lights and to conduct real-time monitoring via CCTV
Systems
networks, traffic lights are adjusted according to the actual traffic
conditions to divert traffic flow and enhance efficiency (CPU, 2015).
Transport Information
Transport Information System is a central database to collect, process
System
and disseminate comprehensive transport information. It also provides
road users and the general public with four major services, including
Road Traffic Information Service (CPU, 2015).
Road Cargo System
To streamline customs formalities and enhance border control efficiency
(ROCARS)
by allowing shippers to register cargo information in advance via the
online system before transporting the cargoes through boundary control
points (CPU, 2015).
Autotoll system
It is widely adopted on major trunk roads and tunnels to provide
automatic electronic toll collection service to facilitate traffic flow (CPU,
2015).
Traffic Detectors
Traffic detectors are installed along the strategic routes to provide the
public with accurate real-time traffic information and enhance transport
efficiency (CPU, 2015).
Promote the Use of
The Government will promote the use of electric vehicles and increase
Electric Vehicles
the provision of charging facilities. There will be more retired batteries
which can still be reused for energy storage (CPU, 2015).
“Universal
The programme was introduced in 2014 to retrofit barrier-free access
Accessibility”
facilities to the existing public walkways (CPU, 2015).
Programme
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6.1.7
Smart People - Smart People is one of the key elements in Smart City. Initiatives consist of general
ICT education, funding for R&D in universities and nurture ICT talents.
Table 6 Smart People Initiatives
Enriched IT
In 2015, the Enriched IT Programme in Secondary Schools was launched
Programme in
with a view to nurture IT professionals to facilitate Science, Technology,
Secondary Schools
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Hong Kong (OGCIO,
2011).
The Academy of
Established in 2015, with the aim to promote development and
Sciences of Hong Kong
advancement of science and technology (The Academy of Sciences of
Hong Kong, 2016).
Overseas Research
The world-renown Karolinska Institutet of Sweden will set up its first
Facilities
overseas research facility at the Science Park. Besides, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology will also establish its first overseas Innovation
Node in Hong Kong (HKSAR, 2016a).
The Association of
The scheme is launched by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in
Southeast Asian
Singapore in 2014. Students could gain first-hand knowledge on the
Nations (ASEAN)
economic and socio-cultural environments of the ASEAN countries
Internship Scheme
through participating in the scheme. The total number of participating
tertiary institutions will extend to 11 from 2016 onwards (HKSAR, 2016b).
Midstream Research
The Government will inject HK$2 billion to provide for universities to
Programme for
initiate midstream research on and the respective application on the key
Universities
technology areas (HKSAR, 2016b).
University-Industry
UICP aims to promote close collaborations between private companies
Collaboration
and universities in R&D, as well as fostering university-industry linkages
Programme (UICP)
(ITF, 2016).
R&D Cash Rebate
R&D Cash Rebate Scheme aims to enrich the research culture among
Scheme
private companies and encourage them to strengthen partnership with
designated local public research institutions (ITC, 2016).
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6.1.8
Regional Initiatives - Regional Initiatives refer to the cooperation among local tertiary institutions,
local private companies and the neighbouring cities located in the Pearl River Delta.
Table 7 Smart Regional Initiatives
Smart City Research
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Digital
Institute
China Holdings Limited, the largest integrated IT service provider in
China, signed a framework agreement to build the Smart City Research
Institute, hoping to foster the development of smart city in Hong Kong
and Mainland China (HKUST, 2015).
Expansion of HKSTPC
The Government will identify sites near the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai
site area
Boundary Control Point for the development of Science Park and
industrial estates to cater the growing demand on HKSTPC site (HKSAR,
2016a).
The Qianhai Shenzhen-
The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation
Hong Kong Modern
Zone was established with the aim of serving as an experimental
Service Industry
business zone for better interaction between the Mainland China and
Cooperation Zone
Hong Kong in the financial, logistics, and IT services sectors (China
Briefing, 2014).
Scheme for Cross-
The scheme, in cooperation with Shanghai in 2012, enables Hong Kong
boundary Study Tour
students to understand the prospects and dynamics of the financial
for Post-secondary
markets in Mainland (HKSAR, 2016b).
Financial Talents
Guangdong – Hong
The scheme, initiated by the Innovation and Technology Commission
Kong Technology
(ITC), aims at strengthen collaborations between universities, research
Cooperation Funding
institutes, trade and industry associations, professional bodies, and local
Scheme (TCFS)
companies in technological research (ITC, 2013).
Shenzhen/ Hong Kong
Shenzhen/ Hong Kong Innovation Circle was announced in May 2008,
Innovation Circle
was the first major project under the Innovation Circle umbrella, as a
joint project between Shenzhen, HKSTPC, and DuPont to establish a
Solar Energy R&D Support Center (Segal, 2014).
6.1.9
Overall, Hong Kong has implemented abundant measures in the areas of Smart Government and
Smart Mobility, to name but a few, the extensive coverage of electronic public services and the use
of public transport and intelligent transport system. In order to facilitate the development of Smart
City, Hong Kong government is expanding the range of initiatives in Smart Environment and Smart
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Living such as increasing the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots and improving public health services to
enhance quality of life of citizens. Moreover, the government has been promoting digital economy
in Hong Kong, such as supporting the upgrade of local industry and transforming them into high
value-added businesses, in order to foster economic diversification and enhance competitiveness
in Hong Kong.
6.1.10
In addition, Hong Kong government has put a lot of effort to nurture ICT talents. Measures such as
promoting STEM education in secondary schools, providing funding for universities to carry out
R&D, and encourage collaboration between universities and the ICT industry have been adopted.
By expanding the talent base, the development of Smart City in Hong Kong could be effectively
initiated.
6.2
Challenges
6.2.1
Cities often encounter various policy challenges in the course of smart city development. The main
challenges that Hong Kong has encountered includes (a) the lack of a good policy definition and
direction, (b) the low resources input into research and development, (c) Inactive partnership
between public and private sectors, (d) the complexity of bureaucratic tradition and the limited
intra-governmental communication, and (e) the lack of regulatory adjustment. These challenges
are not mutually exclusive but influence one another.
Lack of Policy Definition and Direction
6.2.2
The absence of a clear policy definition for Smart City
has aroused confusion on the potential impact on Smart City
development. A good working definition is crucial for
formulating policy agenda for Hong Kong and identifying
relevant resources necessary for policy implementation. The
term “Smart City” has been repeatedly mentioned in different
government documents like the Policy Address and the
Budget. However, a comprehensive strategy that provides
clear directions and objectives for policy-making has not been
formulated. For instance, Digital 21 initiative, a strategic plan for developing smart city in Hong
Kong, provide an ambiguous vision of “advancing our achievements and seizing new opportunities:
building on Hong Kong’s position as a world digital city” without setting concrete goals and
objectives (HKSAR, 2007, Section 2.8). Meanwhile, the recent research report by the Central Policy
Unit (2015), after providing an overview about the development of smart cities in different part of
the world, still cannot provide a good foundation for policy making. For instance, the Report has
not provided discussion as to how the six dimensions (smart economy, smart mobility, smart
environment, smart citizen, smart living and smart government) of smart city can be adopted in
the context of Hong Kong (CPU, 2015, pp. 3-4).
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6.2.3
While the term “Smart City” has appeared in various government documents like the Policy
Address and the Budget, the Hong Kong government still fails to articulate explicitly what the smart
city aspiration is in the city. One of our interviewees, a professor from University of Hong Kong,
pointed to the lack of critical understanding about what smart city means. He commented that
“smart city is a very broad concept and has different spectrum; we should firstly ask what kind of
smart city we want Hong Kong to become” (Interview Record, 15 March). This results in a high
th
degree of uncertainty as to how smart city development can connect to the wider political
economy.
Low Input in Research & Development (R&D)
6.2.4
The implementation of smart city initiatives requires
substantial input and investment in R&D. But the track record
of Hong Kong in this area is not promising. Compared with
Singapore, the total spending on R&D of Hong Kong is relatively
low in both public and private sectors. While the public sector
spent 0.8% and private sector spent 1.3% of GDP investing into
R&D in Singapore, Hong Kong only spent 0.4% and 0.3%
respectively (Our Hong Kong Foundation, 2015). From the
overseas experience, R&D is very often embedded in the
industrial development of the economy (Legislative Council Research Office, 2013). Given that
Hong Kong has not yet developed its own R&D policy, it is not surprising that this cannot be fully
integrated into the economic cycle of the city.
Inactive Partnership between Public and Private Sector
6.2.5
The lack of platform and weak partnership between
the public and private sectors has limited the prospect of
developing new innovations in Hong Kong. Firstly, the existing
collaboration approach between the two sectors in Hong Kong
tends to be ad hoc and lack strategic thinking. The absence of
public-private partnerships in funding innovation is a case in
point. Indeed, there has been an expanding range of start-up
funding schemes introduced by the Hong Kong Government
and private sectors, such as Technology Business Incubation
Program. Yet, according to a co-founder of an insurance startup (Interview Record, 16th March), the scope of the existing funding schemes offered by Hong Kong
government and private firm overlap significantly. In addition, most of these schemes over
emphasize on starting the business, but lack attention towards product consolidation and long
term investment, for example angle investment which are essential for sustaining the growth of
start-ups in later stage is needed.
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6.2.6
Secondly, the entrenched mode of laissez-faire economy has led to a rigid division between the
private sector involvement and the public sector involvement. For instance, there are worries that
the expansion of the public sector involvement in smart city development can affect its existing
market share. A Legislative Councillor (Interview Record, 24th March), and a planner from the
Planning Department (Interview Record, 22nd March), mentioned the project of expanding free WiFi coverage as an example to illustrate this problem. Given that there are tremendous cost involved
in applying for a license to provide mobile data service, existing telecommunication companies
would resist any attempt by the public sector to introduce free Wi-Fi coverage. Another example
is the growing business concern among different transport service providers in the provision of
real-time data to the public.
The Complexity of Bureaucratic Tradition and the Limited Intra-Governmental Communication
6.2.7
The existing bureaucratic tradition has led to
complex intra-governmental communication. According to
the comment of one government official responsible for
Smart City projects in Hong Kong (Interview Record, 17th
March), while government departments have developed
different “smart initiatives”, they rarely coordinate with one
another. According to the interviewee, the communication
channel within the Hong Kong government is too complex and
often experience difficulties getting messages to the relevant
departments. Approvals from the bureau level are required
before any interdepartmental communication can take place. The communication loop within the
government structure has led to confusion and time delays in project implementation. Also, agreed
by another interviewee, a Legislative Councillor, government departments and bureaux seldom
coordinate among themselves (Interview Record, 15th March).
6.2.8
Secondly, the data-sharing practice within the public sector in Hong Kong remains underdeveloped. Although there has been an increasing realization that data-sharing in the public sector
is essential for smart city development, such practice is not popular. As explained by one of the
interviewee (Interview Record, 22nd March), there are no protocols for standardising data. On one
hand, the data collected by one department may not be compatible with other departments. As a
result, the data collected for or from a specific project may not be useful for other departments.
On the other hand, even if they had made use of the same data platform, there would be no
channels to share it across departments. An example to illustrate this is the geographic information
system (GIS) datasets that are commonly used in Planning Department, Lands Department and
Highways Department are not shared or have been imposed with limited accessibility. Most
importantly, each government departments may have vested interest in its own dataset. An
example is that the checking of land lease possession being an important source of revenue for The
Land Registry.
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Lack of Regulatory Adjustment
6.2.9
There is a lack of regulatory adjustments in view of
the changing technological market. Firstly, there is a big grey
area in the existing legal regime, which deters potential
players to enter into the market. As admitted by a start-up
operator, it is fairly easy for him to fall into the legal pitfall
when there are no relevant provision of regulation for those
innovation products. Meanwhile, some of the start-ups
claimed that it is difficult to start a financial technology
(Fintech) related business in Hong Kong because the legal
framework has not yet been developed (KPMG, Thomas Reuters & DLA Piper, 2015).
6.2.10
Secondly, there is limited legal room to allow the importing of foreign technological innovations
into Hong Kong. For example, the recent legal controversy associated with Uber Technologies Inc.
(Uber) reflects the growing difficulties with the existing legal system to accommodate a new mode
of “deep integration of data-driven systems in every facet of city life” (Sadowski and Gregory, 2015).
While China has already paved the way “to legalise Uber-style ride-hailing services by scrapping
long-standing taxi regulations”, we fail to foresee similar legal developments in Hong Kong (Li,
2016). Also, Mr. Charles Mok, the Legislative Councillor from the functional constituency of
Information Technology, pointed out that Airbnb, Inc. (Airbnb) which is a popular online platform
for vacation rentals, has violated the existing Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance
(Cap 349) (Apple Daily News, 2015). Anyone, who intends to provide accommodation services, is
required to register under the existing Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance. Another
example, as expressed by another interviewee, the limited expansion of hydroponics illuminates a
grey area of the existing legal regime in governing new agricultural products. There is limited room
to flexibly adopt new knowledge and technologies in opening up new markets.
6.2.11
Thirdly, the underdeveloped legal infrastructure governing cyber security has been a discouraging
factor for smart city development. Internet governance in Hong Kong is very fragmented and is
formed by a patchwork of laws (such as Electronic Transactions Ordinance) and a series of
government IT security policy and guidelines. These guidelines, however, have not been updated
in response to the changing industrial condition (the date of the latest update indicated is 2012).
Laws governing data collection and retention, protection of civil liberty, and criminal dealings are
not considered as mature or could be effectively implemented. For example, it was found that less
than 3 per cent of reported computer crimes are brought to the court (Norris, 2010). A lawyer
commented that the existing anti-cybercrime regime only “addressed the problems that existed in
the early 1990s before the internet boom in the millennium ... [and] there has been relatively little
progress in legislative development in relation to cybercrimes since 1993” (Norris, 2010). The
recent huge data breach at local toymaker VTech suggests that there remains widespread
indifference towards the need for legal compliance of cyber laws (Perez, 2015a). Meanwhile, there
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is a great deal of uncertainty in harmonising domestic legislation with those of other jurisdictions
and international standards (SCMP, 2003). This could pose a challenge in the investigation of multijurisdictional legal cases.
6.2.12
To sum up, the five challenges discussed above have underscored the lack of institutional and
policy capacity for developing Hong Kong into a smart city. There is an institutional inertia to
encourage the entrance of new markets or to develop a human capital basis for smart city
development. Meanwhile, despite the Government has reiterated its vision to develop Hong Kong
into a smart city, the lack of strategic and collaborative thinking in the public sector remains an
obstacle for smart city development.
6.3
Opportunities
Solid Technological Foundation
6.3.1
A strong ICT foundation is imperative for the development
of Smart City. Over the years, Hong Kong government has
worked hand-in-hand with telecommunication companies
to enhance the technological competitive edge of the city.
As a leading player in the ICT field, the city has the potential
to evolve and become one of the smartest city in the
world.
6.3.2
Some large-scale infrastructures might have gone unnoticed, they are, yet, contributing and
benefiting our daily internet communications, facilitating our activities as a result. These unseen
connections such as the nine submarine cable systems or the ten satellite operations provide
reliable and smooth internet browsing experiences to users (OGCIO, 2016). For instance, the Asia
Submarine-cable Express (ASE) was launched in 2012 that it connects Hong Kong with Japan,
Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, being one of the fastest submarine cable in the world (NTT
Communications, 2014). With more efficient and reliable linkages to neighbouring countries, more
companies can seize the opportunity to develop data centres in Hong Kong. Among these
companies, the Tokyo-based NTT Communications provides a good example. The company, under
the telecommunication giant, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, has recently completed a HK$4
billion investment on a data centre expansion project in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate. The
company is already operating other data centres in Kwai Chung and Tai Po, but their executive vicepresident mentioned that their company observed a strong demand from the market for more
data centres (Perez, 2015).
6.3.3
Good connection does not only exist between Hong Kong and other countries, it also exists within
Hong Kong. Referring to the latest statistics, the mobile subscriber penetration rate in November
2015 has reached 227.2%, indicating averagely one citizens owning more than two mobile devices,
while the household broadband penetration rate has reached 83.8% (OFCA, 2016). In terms of
Internet connections, Hong Kong ranks 5th in the average Internet connection speed and 2nd in the
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peak Internet connection speed in the world (Akamai, 2016). These promising figures do not only
show a huge demand for internet access, but also a potential for further exploration of different
smartphone applications or different uses of big data. In addition, people in Hong Kong can view,
publish and access the content of the Internet without any screening and censorship. The
Government also has taken the first step in collaborating some government data via the
data.gov.hk website (data.gov.hk, 2016), as suggested in the Policy Address 2016, more opening of
data from public and private sector is expected (HKSAR, 2016a). Together with the attempt to
further expand the Wi-Fi hotspots around the city, the network coverage and connection are
certainly advancing, offering an ideal platform for ICT industry to excel in the coming years.
Enlargement of Talent Base
6.3.4
Hong Kong’s potential to develop
into a smart city does not only
comes from solid infrastructure, of
equal
importance
is
the
development of human capital. In
fact, Hong Kong has a pool of ICT
talents who are willing and ready
to take on the journey towards
building a smarter Hong Kong. According to the latest update from the Government, there are
around 83,000 professionals participating in different business sectors, with 38% in the software
design and development sector for example (ITC, 2015). It is also stated that there are more than
2,200 ICT students graduating from tertiary institutions every year. These graduates would bring
in new ideas and innovations to the industry. This year, the Government has stepped up their
commitment in cultivating young innovative minds by providing a tuition fee subsidy to students
admitted to construction, engineering and technology in the Vocational Training Council (VTC)
(HKSAR, 2016b). The Government is also actively encouraging science and engineering graduates
to participate in R&D projects supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF). By January
2015, there are already 1,800 intern positions provided by these projects.
6.3.5
Other than nurturing a new breed of young ICT talents, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC)
for instance has provided a wide range of training courses to enhance competitiveness of general
workers regardless of their fields (HKPC, 2016). Some of their latest programmes, for instance, a
diploma in 3D printing technology, have opened up a wider potential for enterprises to deliver new
and innovative products to the market and have inspired workers to deliver smarter solutions in
their respective industries. Cyberport and HKSTPC are also playing their role in offering various
seminars and programmes to disseminate the latest ideas and innovations to companies and
workers.
6.3.6
Through learning and exploring, one could train his or her creativity and innovative mind. Creativity
is hard to measure, but several of our interviewees had expressed positive attitude towards Hong
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Kong citizens’ acceptance and willingness to learn about the latest inventions and technologies.
This provides the grounds in which the city can push forward new ideas.
Increasing in Regional Cooperation
6.3.7
Cooperation and linkages with
Mainland, specifically cooperation
with the neighbouring cities in the
Pearl River Delta, is growing. Hong
Kong, being a regional leader, plays
the role as a business gateway to
the market in China. According to
Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) (2016), Hong Kong is not only the largest source
of overseas direct investments in the Chinese market, but also the regional headquarters and
offices of 3,798 foreign companies, and 70% of them conduct businesses in China in 2015. These
efforts, together with the opportunities brought by The Mainland-Hong Kong Closer Economic
Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and the latest Belt-and-Road initiative, signify the ever-growing
cross-boundary opportunities. The opportunities are further recognized in the 13th five-year plan in
China, with Beijing showing support for innovation and technology in Hong Kong, and exchanges
over the border (Cheung, 2016). In a more liberal market exchange, Hong Kong will continue to
play the role of regional financial hub, strengthening the economic cooperation between cities.
6.3.8
Utilising the human resources and market in mainland China, Hong Kong could continue to
contribute its own research success. Over the years, the TCFS funded 66 projects with around
HK$168 million of funding from the Hong Kong government; this has encouraged the collaboration
of research (ITC, 2015). Adding on to this is the cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen on
the academic field. Different tertiary institutions have set up research branches in the High-Tech
Zone in Nanshan, to foster the exchange of talents and resources.
6.3.9
Another major development illustrating strong regional linkage in recent years is the Qianhai
development in Shenzhen. They have a vision to create a modern service industry zone to
demonstrate Guangdong-Hong Kong innovation cooperation (Qianhai International Liaison
Services Limited, 2014). In the interview, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Professor left a remark
on the Qianhai development, stating the great potential for Hong Kong young talents to showcase
their innovative ideas in the area. In fact, this development project is not only supported by HKSTPC,
but also some of the biggest commercial chambers in Hong Kong, such as the Hong Kong General
Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC). As a
result, it is possible that the area can become a testbed for new technologies and products.
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7.
International Case Study
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7.1
Introduction
7.1.1
Smart City is no longer an imaginative utopia. In fact, over 100 smart city projects have been
initiated globally, while many major cities in the world have adopted Smart City strategies to solve
some of the major global challenges such as the aging population, climate change and high density.
Hence, Smart City development has emerged as a feasible and popular trend in city planning.
7.1.2
While all cities possess unique characteristics and cultures, they also shares common opportunities
and challenges, hence international case studies have been conducted in the hope that they will
provide a comprehensive compendium for the development of Smart Working strategies. In the
working paper, the team has conducted in-depth case studies on Singapore, Seoul Metropolitan
Area (SMA) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (TMA). Additionally, other teams have conducted
supplemental case studies on Barcelona and cities within the Pearl River Delta (PRD), thus providing
a comparative overview of some of the best practices internationally on smart cities development.
The objective of this section is to highlight the lessons learnt from the international best practices.
7.2
Justifications
7.2.1
Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo have been meticulously shortlisted as the subject of our case studies,
due to their renowned success in their Smart City Initiatives, the similarities between Hong Kong
and the three cities in terms of their socio-economic structures and their approach to Smart
Working.
7.2.2
Renowned Success - Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo has been selected as the subject of our case
studies due to their renowned success in their Smart City initiatives. According to the indicators
development by Dr. Boyd Cohen, the three cities have topped the 10 Smartest Asia/Pacific Cities
rankings.
Table 8 The 10 Smartest Asia/Pacific Cities
Ranking
City
1
Seoul
2
Singapore
3
Tokyo
4
Hong Kong
5
Auckland
6
Sydney
7
Melbourne
8
Osaka
9
Kobe
10
Perth
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7.2.3
Major Competitors in the Asia Pacific Region - The geographical proximity and similarities in the
level of development between Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo have made the comparative
studies between Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo the most appropriate choice. In fact,
fierce competition among the four cities to become the most important international financial
centre in the Asia Pacific region has occurred since 1990s. In this respect, it is crucial to keep track
of our major competitors to secure Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s World City.
7.2.4
Similar Economic Pattern - Notwithstanding the fierce competition, the similarities in economic
pattern between the four cities have also made the comparative study a valuable reference for
Hong Kong. For instance, Hong Kong and Singapore share similar economic structures in terms of
GDP sectors, with the service industry as the most dominant component. All four cities also share
similar inflation patterns. Moreover, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo are prone to regional
economic shocks, for instance the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
7.2.5
Common Asian Culture - Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo also share a common Asian
culture such as high-effort work mentality. Meanwhile, the cities have also historically interacted
with each other.
7.3
Summary of the Smart City Initiatives adopted in Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo
7.3.1
Singapore adopts a top-down planning model for the overall coordination of smart city
development, this includes: strategic positioning, masterplanning and practical implementation.
Given the limited land resources and high density environment, Singapore’s smart city initiatives
strive to develop a well-connected society through the development and adoption of ICT in various
aspects of the city. In this respect, Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015), the long-term blueprint for
smart city development, embraces “Innovation, Integration and Internationalization” as the
overarching themes. The goal is to combine Singapore’s economy, citizens, governance, mobility,
environment and living with smart elements. To this end, the Smart Nation Programme Office
(SNPO) under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Infocommunications Development
Authority (iDA) under the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MICA) was
established to coordinate and implement the plan.
Figure 4 Smart Nation initiative of Singapore
Source: Prime Minister’s Office of Singapore
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7.3.2
Smart city initiatives in Seoul’s metropolitan area focuses on the development of an integrated city
management and ICT penetration application. Building on the u-Seoul project, Smart Seoul 2015
was established in 2011, in which the focus was shifted from the application of ICT in individual
municipal facilities to the development of an integrated city management framework; while also
providing adequate ICT education to citizens of all ages. Similar to Singapore, Seoul’s smart city
initiatives are government driven. To this end, the Vice-Mayor, who also served as the Chief
Information Officer of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is responsible for the coordination and
formulation of the Smart Seoul strategy.
Figure 5 Smart Seoul
Source: International Telecommunication Union
7.3.3
Smart city initiatives in Tokyo’s Metropolitan Area focuses on the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City
Initiatives, which adopts a targeted development and market-led approach. To this end, fostering
energy security, boosting local development in social and economic terms and enhancing regional
and local competitiveness have been selected as the targeted goal of Kashiwa-no-ha’s smart city
initiatives. Meanwhile, local private corporations take on an active role in initiating and
implementing smart city strategies. Through smart environment, industry and health initiatives,
Tokyo hopes to transform into an environmental-symbiotic City, a city of New Industry Creation
and a city of Health and Longevity.
Figure 6 Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City
Source: Mitsui Fudosan Co.,Ltd
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7.4
Lessons
7.4.1
After conducting in-depth international case studies on Singapore, SMA and TMA; the study of
Barcelona and cities within PRD, which were conducted by the other teams, have also been
reviewed. Overall, It was identified that the provision of: A structured and comprehensive strategy,
a solid foundation for the development of ICT industry, strong cross-sectoral cooperation and the
creation of relevant regulatory adjustment are crucial steps in achieving smart city development.
Structured and Comprehensive Strategies
7.4.2
“Structured and Comprehensive strategies” is defined as
the creation of comprehensive plans by government,
which offers a clearly defined vision that encourages
internal departments to follow suit. In Singapore, Smart
Nation is the national vision set by the Government
(Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, 2016). Various
government departments endeavour to realise this
vision by following the strategies drafted in the Master
Plan for Singapore. The Master Plan includes strategies
for different departments, illustrating how the national
goal can be achieved by having all government agencies work towards a clearly defined objective,
under the lead of SNPO. Similarly, the significance of 2030 Seoul Master Plan does not only refer
to spatializing smart working strategies, but more crucially, to gather the contributions from
different government departments, following the same vision, for Smart City development.
7.4.3
In Hong Kong, creating a holistic strategy is one of the biggest challenge. As mentioned as in the
previous “Local Policy and Review” section, there is generally a lack of coordination in Hong Kong’s
development of Smart City. Without a cross-department/ bureau office to monitor the progress,
different departments follow their own interpretation of the concept and eventually carry out
piecemeal and scattered programmes. The establishment of the EKEO is an attempt to resolve this
issue.
7.4.4
With an aspiration to become the first smart nation in the world, Singapore has established a SNPO
under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to oversee the entire development process (PMO, 2016).
Various government departments endeavour to realise the vision by following the actions drafted
in the Master Plan for Singapore. Similarly in Barcelona, “Smart Barcelona” was initiated by its
mayor in 2011 and thus the City Council is responsible for the overall strategy formulation (BCN
Smart City, n.d.). Under the City Council, are the Project Management Committee and Smart City
Personal Management Office to manage and monitor the entire process (Adjuntament de
Barcelona, 2012). With strong governmental leadership, the dissemination of orders and
instructions are effective. An office set up at a higher level could also serve the purpose of
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coordinating the efforts from relevant government departments and ensure that various targets
are met.
7.4.5
The establishment of an office will not lead to success unless coupled with a clear vision and
feasible development strategies for departments to follow. For instance the Seoul Metropolitan
Government (SMG) has launched the Smart Seoul 2015 strategic plan with a vision to make “Seoul,
a city of happy citizens and a city beloved by the world” through the application of smart
technologies (SMG, n.d.). SMG will incorporate and push forward the spatial framework and
assignment of specialized industrial clusters into the establishment of the 2030 Master Plan. The
integration enables smart ideas and initiatives to be implemented and carried out in the 2030
Master Plan. While in Singapore, with an aspiration to become the world’s first smart nation, the
government updates their master plan regularly. The promulgation of the comprehensive
development strategic plan – Intelligent Nation 2015 and later succeed by Infocomm Media 2025
have set out visions and strategies that can be followed by various government departments
(Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, n.d.; Ministry of Communications and
Information, 2016). In the development of a Smart Nation, one vision “involves pulling together its
world-ranked universities and medical facilities, multi-billion annual research and development
(R&D) investments, a fast-growing community of tech start-ups and large pools of investment
capital” and “centres on the government and private sectors using technology holistically to bring
about better lives and greater business opportunities” (Forbes.com LLM, 2016). These visions
promoted by their respective cities, address and respond to the critical urban issues faced by the
people and society. Tailor-made and fitted to the local context, these visions and strategies are
developed upon the competitive edges of the city, and provided a timely solution to existing
problems.
Provision of Solid Foundation for ICT development
7.4.6
Upon developing a structured and comprehensive strategy, provision of solid foundation for ICT
development should be the next step. In fact, one of the strengths of Hong Kong is the introduction
of quality technological infrastructure, in fact, Hong Kong ranked 9 in ICT Development Index,
th
indicating that Hong Kong has relatively high ICT
capabilities (ICT Development Index, 2015). To
this end, Hong Kong can build on its strength and
further
improve
the
technological
infrastructure, allowing the city to take full
advantage of ICT services and ensure its
contribution to wider smart city development.
Furthermore, Hong Kong still has room for
improvement in terms of ICT talent cultivation.
Although
the
government
does
provide
resources in nurturing local innovations, it falls
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short in providing targeted support for “the urgent need to cultivate talent for the ICT industry”
(Hong Kong Computer Society, 2016). Moreover, people in Hong Kong are still relatively
conservative in utilizing e-services and new mobile applications, thus there is an urgent need in
enhancing community acceptance of the wider service application of ICT through education and
training. Therefore, it is important for government to lay solid foundations in terms of robust
technological infrastructure, data transparency, ICT education and training and adequate financial
support in order to enable the establishment of smart city. International case studies on Singapore,
Seoul, Tokyo, Barcelona and cities within the PRD all demonstrate this provision of solid foundation
for ICT development.
7.4.7
Technological
foundational
infrastructures
such
as
free,
city-wide
wi-fi
network
coverage and affordable ICT services are essential for the establishment of a Smart City. In
Singapore, the Government attempts to lay a strong bedrock for Smart City development by
fortifying ICT infrastructure. For instance, the Next Gen NII initiative serves as its official attempt in
offering
improved
nationwide
broadband
network
infrastructure including both wireless and wired. In
Barcelona, the Superblock project and 22@Barcelona were
initiated as pilot projects that provides wide-range of
technological infrastructures including: charging facilities
for electric vehicles, smart refuse collection points, smart
car parks, water management system, green traffic modes,
as well as extension and activation of open space and
greenery. The above examples demonstrate the importance
of providing accessible and affordable smart infrastructures
to the public.
7.4.8
The international case studies have also demonstrated the need to provide accessible and
decipherable data to facilitate social innovations, thus laying the data foundation for smart city
development. In Seoul, the Open Data Plaza is established to provide over 1500 visualized data in
10 different classifications. Seven types of data formats are provided, including sheet, chart, amp,
file, link and open application programme interface (SMG, 2015a), to allow for general public
access to the data. Furthermore, in Barcelona, Agent-Based Modelling and Geographic Information
System (GIS) are established as a platform to provide public access to spatial information. Citizens
are provided with a one-stop portal to access to specialized information such as geography,
historical orthophotos or even biomass distributions. Information like this can be used for the
interests of environmental protection, urban facilities utilization and purposes. In a different case,
PRD is now building a smart spatial information platform which retrieves data from network
sensors based on the ICT, the data is then processed and standardized; hence promote information
sharing. With accessible and decipherable data, information flow can be enhance and thus
encourage smart innovations.
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7.4.9
Moreover, people are the backbone of cities. Nurturing human talents that could drive Smart City
development is an essential step in laying solid technological and man-power foundations for smart
city development. To this end, a population that is adaptable to smart transformation are hence
vital to the success of smart city development. It would therefore be favourable for the government
to provide further ICT education and training. In Singapore, SkillsFuture, a programme that offers
training, education and support for all citizens including students, fresh employees, experienced
employers and business operators, is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and adaptability of
all citizens. Specifically catering towards the older generations are Silver Infocomm Initiatives. In
the hopes of fostering digital inclusion, these initiatives have been launched to equip elderlies with
the necessary digital skills needed to utilized ICT-related services that can improve the quality of
life of all members of society.
7.4.10
Government also plays a key role in fostering innovation. Their provision of adequate financial
support to ICT startups and ICT-related R&D could contribute to the wider smart city development
by building the capacity for ICT usage and promoting ICT inclusiveness. For instance, TX
Entrepreneur Partners (TEP) in Tokyo provides monetary, hands-on, community and mentoring
support for entrepreneurs and business ventures to develop advanced technologies. This is a good
example in regards to the working mechanism of providing financial support to ICT startups and
ICT-related R&D.
7.4.11
Robust ICT infrastructure, accessible and decipherable data, skilled talent base and financial
support to ICT startups and ICT-related R&D all contribute to the bedrock of smart city
development. Hence, Hong Kong should strive to lay a solid foundation for ICT development so as
to build capacity for wider smart city development.
Cross-Sectoral Cooperations
7.4.12
Cross-sectoral cooperation is defined as the cooperation
among different stakeholders involved in smart city
development, namely, government, private sector and
academia. From the international case studies, crosssectoral cooperation is prominent in area of smart
infrastructure investments, policy formulation and R&D.
In Hong Kong, despite the recent move to establish a
multi-stakeholder cooperation between government,
industry, academia and research institute (官產學研)
plus the emergence of Smart City consortium; general
public and the private sectors’ influences on smart city
planning remains limited.
7.4.13
Cross-sectoral cooperation is well demonstrated through joint investment of smart
infrastructure. In Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Esri, an international
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supplier of GIS software, have been cooperatively developing a 3D planning tool, the Esri
CityEngine. In Tokyo, the TX Entrepreneur Belt, a technological cluster of Japanese research
institutes, national universities and incubation facilities are jointly invested by both the private and
public sector.
7.4.14
Apart from joint investment of smart infrastructure, close multi-stakeholders cooperation can also
be utilized in the smart city strategy formulation and implementation process. For instance, the
city of Shenzhen had signed a contract with Tencent Inc. to develop smart city initiatives. Moreover,
in Tokyo, the Kashiwa-no-ha Campus City gathers the latest research findings and knowledge from
the University of Tokyo, Chiba University and other research institutes to provide valuable insights
to Smart City Projects (i.e. an organization formed by consortiums of private corporations). In turn,
Smart City Projects then proposed smart working solutions to the Japanese national government,
local government, real estate developers, relevant companies and the public for further comments
and implementations, hence creating a “CoCreate Eco-System” (i.e. a joint approach to
sustainability) in which all stakeholders participate in the Smart Working related strategies
formulations. The Cross-sectoral cooperation process is illustrated in Figure 6 (Smart City Project,
n.d.). The “CoCreate Eco-System” does not only enhance community spirit, the proposed initiatives
could also directly address to the needs of the stakeholders. Hence, the Kashiwa-no-ha smart city
initiatives clearly illustrate how multi-stakeholders’ cooperation can be comprehensively adopted
in smart city policy formulation and implementation.
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Figure 7 Cross-sectoral Cooperation Process
7.4.15
Furthermore, cross-sectoral cooperation can also be demonstrated through R&D effort. In
Singapore, multi-stakeholder collaboration in R&D has been established. For instance, the Land
Transport Authority and Steria Asia Ate Ltd have signed a contract of collaboration to support
Singapore Urban Transport Solution (STARS) initiative, which aims to promote Singapore as a
research centre for urban transport solutions. Moreover, in Barcelona, R&D platforms, i.e. Smart
City Campus, Spark Lab and Industry Ring, have been constructed to blend industry, academia and
the research sector efforts on the development of smart city technologies.
Relevant Regulatory Adjustment
7.4.16
To strike a balance between innovation and economic
stability, laws and regulations should be constantly
adjusted in order to facilitate the development of smart
city. Unfortunately, the laws and regulations in Hong
Kong are rigid, and fails to keep updated with the latest
technological innovations. For instance, the operation of
Uber, an online taxi-hailing service, is illegal in Hong
Kong. Uber drivers have been accused of driving without
an operation permit or third-party insurance. In this case,
the absence of relevant regulatory adjustment would
discourages technological innovations such as online car sharing services. Meanwhile, according to
one interviewee of a Fintech startup, the lack of relevant regulatory adjustment hindered the
development of innovative solutions such as crowdfunding. Despite the rigid legal framework,
Hong Kong still lags behind in ensuring cyber security and is ill-prepared to address a cyber crisis.
For instance, online security in Hong Kong merely consists of companies and organisations in Hong
Kong installing anti-malware software, there is no pro-active tracking of hackers’ activities.
Furthermore, the issue of personal security has also aroused public attention in recent years. Some
companies and organisations have sold their customers and clients’ information to third party
buyers for commercial benefits. These examples strengthen the case, that laws and regulations in
Hong Kong should be reviewed and adjusted to provide favourable environment for technological
innovations and enhance the protection of personal security.
7.4.17
Smart city development will inevitably bring proliferation of ICT technologies and new
technological innovations. New innovations can disrupt existing industrial practices. Hence, laws
and regulations should be constantly updated to adapt to the latest technological context. For
instance, referring to the case study of Barcelona, Spain has established three regulations in
response to smart city development (Spanish Association of Standardisation and Certification
(AENOR), 2015). In addition, regulations should be adjusted to provide innovative solutions to
Fintech startups. Singapore has relaxed the regulations and adopted limited intervention on the
Fintech industry (StartUpBeat, 2016).
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7.4.18
Moreover, the issue of cyber security should also be addressed. Admittedly, technological
innovations brings merits to our daily lives, however, it also inevitably make the city more
vulnerable to cyber-attack. Hence, laws and regulations should be reviewed in order to strengthen
our protection from cyber-attacks. For instance, the international case study of the Seoul
Metropolitan Area illustrates the establishment of the Cyber Threats Joint Response Team, whose
purpose is to tackle potential cyber-attacks. The team consists of three sub-groups, with the
Ministry of National Defence overseeing the military and defence, the Central Administrative
Agencies overseeing the public sector and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
overseeing the private sector. Hence, providing comprehensive protection against potential cyberattacks (ITU, 2015).
7.4.19
Furthermore, despite the fact that big data bring advantages to society, it also exposes opportunity
for leakage of personal data and create threats on privacy. Hence, regulations should also be
constantly adjust to address to the issue of personal security amidst the context of smart city
development. With reference to Barcelona, Spain has established several initiatives on privacy
protection. For instance, regulations has been set to monitor the development and adoption of
Program Specific Information (ePSIplatform, 2015).
7.4.20
The lessons learnt from international case studies have demonstrated that the provision of a
structured and comprehensive strategy and a solid foundation for the development of ICT industry,
establishing cross- sectoral cooperation and making relevant regulatory adjustment are the crucial
steps in achieving smart city development. Hence, we have incorporated these elements in our
formulation of Hong Kong’s smart city strategy.
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8.
Recommendation
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8.1
Vision & Objectives
Vision
8.1.1
After conducting a thorough research on the concept of Smart City, and analysed the development
locally and internationally, the Team has come up with a vision for the development of Hong Kong
into a smart city.
“Towards A Smarter Hong Kong – Liveable Intelligent Metropolis”
8.1.2
In the development of smart city, it is important to note that under different contexts, different
cities will develop their own visions, objectives and strategies. The reason being smart city is not a
goal, but the means in which we can achieve a better living environment for city dwellers. As a
result, the application of different smart technologies, or innovative ideas is considered as tools to
alleviate or even solve some of the existing urban problems. Therefore, the vision and the
objectives, and later the strategies developed by the Team follow this goal.
8.1.3
The vision delivers a message that through using various ICT technology, we will be able to improve
the standard of living of Hong Kong. The word “liveable” represents the idea that the city shall
become a place that is more comfortable for all to live in, while the word “intelligent” implies not
only the use of new technologies and innovations but also the involvement of smarter people. In
fact, under Hong Kong’s context, these two words provide some insights into addressing some of
the urban issues that Hong Kong is currently facing. These problems includes the aging population,
heavier load on transport system and also healthcare services, limited capacity on waste
management, stagnant economic growth, skewed economic structure, bureaucracy, to name but
a few.
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Objectives
8.1.4
With a hope to improve the current urban issues and to achieve a liveable intelligent metropolis,
the Team has come up with four objectives.

To create a socially and environmentally sustainable community for citizens

To further develop the ICT industry in order to strengthen the economic
competitiveness

To encourage a more efficient and effective government

To promote a stronger linkage between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta
8.1.5
These objectives covers the social, environmental and economic sustainability in our society and
addresses also the improvement in the public administration as well as some stronger linkage
with the neighbouring cities for long term city development.
8.2
Strategy
8.2.1
Based on the four objectives, the Team has come up with the strategy –
8.2.2
RISE is an acronym where each individual letter represents a strategy, these are, in respective order:
Raise living quality, Improve economic foundations, Support a proactive public administration and
Encourage regional interaction. Through the implementation of measures and solutions provided
under the Strategy, the Team has an aspiration that Hong Kong will get up and become a liveable
intelligent metropolis. In the following paragraphs, RISE will be explain in detail.
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8.2.3
Raise living quality means to provide better living quality by raising the convenience and efficiency
in various areas including transportation, housing, healthcare, and utilities to be carried out in a
sustainable manner.
8.2.4
In order to raise living quality, the city shall create a data collecting intelligent network with proper
analysis and delivery of data. The network shall also be coupled with user feedbacks in order to
make timely adjustment and responses. With a comprehensive data collection system, it allows
users to better plan and manage resources.
8.2.5
By attempting to improve the healthcare system, transportation infrastructure and building a
green community, the city will become more resilient, responsive and adaptive in face of existing
and coming challenges such as aging population, traffic congestions and global warming.
8.2.6
The economy of a smart city revolves around an ICT based foundation. Through supporting the
development of ICT, it shall act as the driver of innovation and growth, and make businesses
regardless of their fields, to stay competitive.
8.2.7
The development of the ICT industry is essential in a smart city as it provides the technological
foundation for other industries to develop upon. In order to unleash the full potential of the
industry, the infrastructure has to be improved so that it raises the capacity for the flourishing and
growth of more players within the industry. Furthermore, the city shall attract and cultivate more
ICT talents in order keep the development sustainable. With a stronger base, other industries can
further explore the possibility in using ICT to upgrade their systems in the companies in order to
stay competitive.
8.2.8
The building up of a solid foundation is key at the times of economic turmoil. As global economy
gradually become more volatile, Hong Kong will be adversely affected. By developing the ICT
industry, it will give rise to a wider range of business opportunities and diversify the economic
structure, maintaining or even raising the competitiveness of the city.
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8.2.9
Government is the leader in the formulation and delivery of vision, strategies and plans. It also
plays the role of a mediator to coordinate and collaborate efforts from various stakeholders and
with a specific role to address the general public.
8.2.10
Experiences from around the world have demonstrated the importance of the government taking
the lead in the development of Smart City. With a strong leadership in building the vision,
objectives and corresponding strategies, and close monitoring of the implementation progress, the
government shall coordinate all efforts from various departments and promote the cooperation
between different stakeholders, including involving the general public in particular. The
government shall take a more active role to review the legal framework to keep the regulation
updated with some of the latest innovations, without hampering the interest and limiting the
growth potential for the emerging market.
8.2.11
Embark on the existing and potential interaction between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta to
create a synergy and mutually beneficial environment through the exchange of human resources,
knowledge, and ideas.
8.2.12
The smart city development potential does not limited within the city. A strong partnership with
other cities will exchange the interchange of ideas and talents for the continuous growth. Due to
the time constraint and resource limitation of the Study, the Team only explored the growing
linkage with the Pearl River Delta Region. Yet, the Team believes that the partnership and
knowledge exchanges shall expand towards cities around the world with a higher priority on those
which have successfully undergone the process of transformation. Singapore, Seoul, Barcelona are
some of the examples.
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8.3
Raise Living Quality
8.3.1
Smart city development should strive to raise the overall living quality of all citizens in society. To
enhance efficiency and sustainability in the area of healthcare, transport and building facilities, the
team has proposed the wide adoption of intelligent network to collect and analyse data to facilitate
the drafting of effective policy and improvement measures. The details of the proposed measures
are illustrated below.
Establishing Smart Healthcare
Current Situation
8.3.2
Hong Kong’s healthcare system is one of the best among world (Bloomsberg, 2015; The World Bank,
2016), the outstanding performance of the local medical schools and the equitable health care
services have laid a strong foundation for a healthy population. Despite its world-class status, the
healthcare system in Hong Kong still faces with great challenges. Three major challenges have been
identified:
8.3.3
Ageing Society – With an increasing ageing population, the demand of healthcare services in Hong
Kong is thus increased. The hospitalisation rate of elderly (aged 65 or above) is about four times
higher than those who aged below. Hence, it is foreseeable that demand for healthcare service will
drastically increase with the estimated elderly population increases from 15% in 2014 to 30 % in
2034 (Census and Statistics Department, 2016).
8.3.4
Shortage in Manpower – The supply of human resources in the public medical sector is far from
enough. The public hospitals are consistently in short of around 250 doctors, the patient-doctor
ratio is consistently high (Tsang & Wong, 2015), which resulted in excessive waiting experienced
by patients. With an imminent retirement tide of the baby boomers, enormous pressures will be
placed on the public healthcare system. It is extremely difficult to maintain the current quality of
services with limited workforce.
8.3.5
Hospital Facilities Deficiency – Both public and private hospital are facing shortfall of beds. The
servicing capacity of beds in several public hospitals are stretched to the limit. Meanwhile, lack of
investment on public healthcare services has led to hardware deficiencies, in fact some medical
equipment have already been used for more than 10 years and succumbing to technological
obsolescence.
Proposals
Electronic Health Record (eHR) Analytic and Sharing System
8.3.6
The eHR analytic and sharing system is a platform which allows the sharing of health record
between different healthcare services providers, so allowing the comprehensive health record of
registered patients to be available to various healthcare services providers. On top of that, the
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information obtained shall be utilised to facilitate preventive healthcare services and resources
management.
8.3.7
In fact, a similar system, eHR sharing system, has already been introduced in Hong Kong. The
system allows the sharing of eHR among the selected healthcare providers in both public and
private sectors (ehealth, 2016), the healthcare providers can retrieve the eHR shared by other
providers, and hence eliminate those redundant testing and procedures.
Figure 8 Electronic Health Record Sharing System of Hong Kong
Source: ehealth, 2016
8.3.8
The eHR analytic and sharing system could be built by
basing on the existing eHR sharing system. While the
existing eHR sharing system has provided a platform for
the sharing of eHR, it can go further to analyse the
patient’s’ condition and medical record by using
anonymous record screening techniques, which help to
spot out the most suitable treatment for the patients.
Hence, the shared records help the healthcare
providers
to
make
better
treatment
decisions. Considering the scarcity in healthcare
resources, effective and efficient use of resources is
crucial in sustaining the healthcare system. By determining the best treatment plans for the
patients, wastage can be reduced and hence ensuring the quality of healthcare services.
8.3.9
Moreover, since a comprehensive health record can be generated through eHR analytic and
sharing system, preventive healthcare can be development. In this respect, some potential health
problems or illnesses can be identified at an early stage, and thus serves as preventive. Through
suitable preventive healthcare, chances in getting diseases and illness shall be reduced. Due to the
degradation of body functions, chronic diseases are commonly found in elderlies. With eHR analytic
and sharing system, abnormalities could possibly identified and make timely treatment. Through
improving the primary healthcare services, the demand on hospital services can be reduced by
screening out patients.
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8.3.10
Moreover, the vast data stored in the eHR analytic and sharing system shall assist the planning of
healthcare services. By analysing patients’ data, it can easily identify and determine the needed
healthcare services base on the characteristics and patterns of spatial distribution of patients. Since
the density of patients and their needs are easier to identify, the limited resources like hospital
facilities and doctors can be distributed in a most efficient way.
8.3.11
Aside from efficient resources allocation, eHR analytic and sharing system has also provide ground
for research and development in healthcare aspects. Research and development are facilitated and
the efficiency is enhanced by more available data. In long term, a more responsive healthcare
system is developed and benefit all in the society.
Distance Healthcare Services
8.3.12
Healthcare services are not limited in
hospitals or healthcare centres only with
the advancement in ICT and application
9 E-Med of United Kingdom
of IoT. A number of city and country have Figure
Source: E-Med, 2016
already adopted distance healthcare
services into the system through online medical consultation, like the Tele-Health in Singapore or
the E-Med in the United Kingdom.
8.3.13
The distance medical services can screen out some
patients in going to the hospital. One of the
challenges of Hong Kong’s medical system is the
abuse of hospital services like accident &
emergency (A&E) (Ge & Tsang, 2016), through
introduction of an online medical consultation, it
shall possibly reduce hospital traffic, which allows
valuable hospital spaces to be freed up for the
patients in real needs.
8.3.14
The distance medical services shall also provide
convenient healthcare services, allowing for greater
flexibility as medical consultation are no longer
constrained to hospital and clinics. While patients with chronic diseases have to consult doctors
regularly, with online consultation services, this regular check can be done online in a more
efficient manner.
8.3.15
The record of online healthcare services shall be incorporated into the eHR analytic and sharing
system, so the healthcare provider can trace back the treatment record of the patient. And it also
act as part of the preventive services. The system shall identify the potential diseases through
regular body check, as distance healthcare services has made regular check for most people. In
long term, this shall reduce the overloaded hospital services.
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Implications
8.3.16
As mentioned, by introducing eHR analytic and sharing system, it shall facilitate the resources
allocation, more resources shall be devoted into clusters have higher demand. In short term, the
pressure of healthcare provision in some seriously overloaded clusters shall be alleviated, since
eHR are shared among different healthcare providers, patients can be referred to other providers
for better and timely services. In long term, instead of allocating the hospital resources according
to population, the hospital resources shall allocated according to the patients’ needs, especially
specialist service.
8.3.17
Since the proposed system is based on the existing eHR sharing system, the cost of implementation
shall be low. Although establish a territory-wide eHR sharing system which included all healthcare
provider can be costly, it improves the quality of preventive healthcare services. The cost efficiency
of preventive healthcare services is much higher than treatment services (World Research
Foundation, n.d.). Since the majority of healthcare services are provided by public sectors in
subsidized by the Government (Food and Health Bureau, 2008), and healthcare is always one of
the expenses of the Government. By enhancing the primary and preventive healthcare, the
expenses of Government on healthcare services shall be more effective.
8.3.18
Cross-sectoral cooperation shall also be further promoted through eHR analytic sharing system. As
the eHR are shared among the healthcare providers, private-public partnership (PPP) is encouraged
to provide greater higher quality of treatment. The eHR analytic and sharing system has provided
an opportunity for the researchers and clinician to develop new ways to improve patient care (IBM,
n.d.).
8.3.19
Yet, since eHR contains a lot of personal information, privacy issue is one of the major concerns of
the general public. Currently, eHR sharing system will seek for patient permission to access the eHR.
However, if the sharing system has extend to other purposes, it is not possible to seek for
permission whenever using the information. So a mature regulatory mechanism is essential to
protecting the right and privacy of patients.
8.3.20
Through distance medical services the spatial demand on healthcare providers, like hospital and
clinic can be reduced, deficiency of hospital facilities shall be reduced a bit through increasing the
capacity of healthcare services in a different forms.
8.3.21
The working style and environment of doctors may change in distance healthcare services provision.
Doctors may have to conduct online medical consultation, and their working environment may not
constrained by hospital and clinic as well, consultation services can be provided in any place where
network is available.
8.3.22
Yet, there are still a number of uncertainty in distance medical services. Patients and doctors have
no direct interaction, the decision made could be affected. Some concern the credibility of online
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medical services providers is not as promising as those traditional ones. The online healthcare
services shall only use for minor illness or some regular body check.
Further Develop the Intelligent Transport Network
Current Situation
8.3.23
Hong Kong owns one of the best transportation network in the world. With the highly efficient
public transport system that is comprised of mass railway, taxis, buses, minibuses and ferries, the
transportation performance of the city remains at an extremely high level. The high-density
environment and development pattern, with more than 7 million people living on a quarter of a
1,100 km2 of developed land mass, has supplemented the usage of public transport. According to
the figures, around 12.5 million passenger journeys are generated everyday via the public transport
system, and this also means 9 out of 10 of the passenger journeys are made via this system
(Transport Department, 2010). Among the public transport usage, railway acts as the backbone to
provide reliable and environmentally friendly journeys.
8.3.24
Despite the highly efficient public transport network, the city does face a growing and intensifying
problem of traffic congestion. From 2010 to 2015, the amount of motor vehicles licensed has risen
from 608,000 to 728,000 – nearly a 20% increase in the amount of road vehicles, which is mostly
due to the increased amounts of private cars and motorcycles (Census and Statistic Department,
2016). Further complicating the problem is the increase in the amount of public roads does not
match with the growth rate of cars. In fact, from 2010 to 2015, the total length of public roads only
grew from 2,076 km to 2,101 km, meaning a 1% increase in the public roads.
Proposals
8.3.25
Transportation is an integral part of our daily activities. Having a strong system will without doubt
facilitate our daily activities. Through the use of smart technologies and innovations, the city will
be enhance the existing robust public transportation network and may also solve some existing
traffic problems. A smarter mobility network will improve not only the traveling experience, but
also the environment in the long run as traveling will become more sustainable and efficient. In the
future, travellers will be better informed and be able to make the better decisions before each
journey. Travelers will also experience less frustration due to less traffic congestions. Through the
use of sensors, it shall also ensure a safer environment for travellers and pedestrians. In the follow
paragraphs, the Team will discuss some possible smart measures in response to the current
transportation problems in Hong Kong.
8.3.26
In order to pursue a more efficient network and the above-mentioned benefits, building a stronger
Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is of paramount importance. ITS includes: the application of
technology to better manage traffic, provide more information and warnings to vehicles, and also
includes the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for railway and other forms
of transports (ETSI, n.d.). In fact, currently in the Transport Department (TD), there are some
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attempts in the development of ITS. Besides some older measures like Automatic Toll, Octopus
cards, or the traffic control and surveillance system, TD is currently developing a Traffic and
Incident Management System (TIMS) aiming to better manage traffic and provide timely report on
transport incidents through the use of existing traffic control and surveillance systems (Transport
Department (TD), 2015; 2016).
Upgrade existing ITS
8.3.27
However, an ITS requires the collection and analysis of big data. At the backend, sensor data
collection, and further expansion of the traffic surveillance system are important to collect
information of citizens’ traveling behaviours. Hong Kong may also consider adopting the Singapore
approach by applying the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for more accurate and higher
precision tracking of road traffics (Land Transport Authority and Intelligent Transport Society
Singapore, 2014). There is also a rising trend in the use of anonymous information from mobile
phone data as these data contains the ‘origin, destination, route and mode of transport, and
journey time’ (ARUP, n.d.). The collection of data is vital because after analysing the data,
departments will be able to address the traffic issues more effectively and will also be able to make
predictions on road traffic. Besides, a lot of potential measures to improve the traffic condition,
such as the electronic road pricing system, or giving higher priority to public transport on roads by
manipulating the traffic light system, rely greatly on the analysis of the data. Therefore, there is an
urgent need to collect and
analysis data in order to make
better plans or simulation
models for public transport and
road systems.
One stop platform/Application
8.3.28
After the collection of data,
another major step towards
smarter mobility is the delivery
of these real-time data. In Hong
Kong, buses operate in a franchise system which several bus operators take up the whole market,
while the railway system is solely operated by MTR. Opening up of real-time data by these
companies will generate better traveling experience to passengers. Recently, Hong Kong Tramways
has stepped up their efforts by working with a local transport mobile application company to share
real-time operational data with the public for free (Leng, 2016). The news report also mentioned
that Hong Kong Tramways will make a re-schedule of their service based on the data collected
previously. In fact, the mobile application manager has been working on an application to integrate
all modes of transports into one platform, but has also expressed the reluctance of many service
operators to share their data which was of commercial value according to them. Even in the mobile
application of some of these operators, the real-time information is also missing. Only pre-set
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schedules are available. Rather than relying on private initiatives to ask operators to open up realtime data, the government should make necessary steps by negotiating with these operators.
Ideally, the government will act as a mediator between various operators and encourage
collaboration between these operators, in order to create a one-stop platform or application which
integrates all relevant real-time data such as road condition, public transport information and
usage. Instead of each operator running their own applications, one single application with a userfriendly interface can speed up the searching process and give citizens the chance to make the best
decision. Such improvement will further encourage an optimised use of public transportation and
potentially be able to slow down the growth on private cars.
Implications
8.3.29
With the further development on the ITS, the government will have to play a bigger role in leading
the improvements. Improvements and expansion on the sensors and surveillance cameras or even
the consideration on further using satellite technologies will certainly involve injecting more money,
thus leading to greater tax burdens in return. However, given the existing infrastructure, the
government should consider upgrading the current systems first before rolling out new devices to
minimise the monetary impact. Other than financial considerations, the government will also need
to put extra efforts in coordinating a platform for transport service operators to meet and discuss
on the opening up of real-time data. Knowing that some operators has already expressed their
reluctance on data sharing, the negotiation process may be lengthy and may require the
government to consider giving more incentives to the operators.
8.3.30
As for the transport service operators, opening up of data and further collaboration between them
may affect their business interest. For instance, different bus operators see each other as
competitors, and thus the data become valuable asset to them. In light of that, new business
partnership may arise among these operators to coordinate and provide a platform that is shared
by all.
8.3.31
While the government and private sector may have more financial considerations, the general
public will certainly cast doubt on the privacy issue. With a closer monitoring or even tracking of
road traffic, drivers would have some hesitations on being identified and tracked down by the
system. Therefore, it is important to ensure the public is aware of the changes in the monitoring
system and be responsive in face of comments and complains.
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Build a Green Community
Current Situation
8.3.32
Promoting green living does not only enhance environmental sustainability, but also raises living
quality by providing a more comfortable and resource-efficient living environment. In Hong Kong,
domestic households are major sources of water and energy consumption. According to Research
Office of Legislative Council Secretariat (2015) Hong Kong’s per capita water consumption was 209
litres per day in 2012, much higher than other global cities like and London and Singapore. Besides,
the energy consumption of local households ranked second among all purposes in 2015, coming
after commercial operations (Census and Statistical Department, 2016).
8.3.33
Building green community thus becomes necessary for Hong Kong to sustain its development.
Green communities can be achieved through two major measures, green towns and smart
buildings, with the adoption of advanced technologies.
8.3.34
“Smart building is one of the marks of a smart city” (CPU, 2015, p.28). As the form of buildings can
create adverse environmental impacts, applications of technology can help the constructions and
households to attain more efficient use of resources, including water and electricity consumption.
Currently, Hong Kong has been working on developing smart buildings, some examples include the
application of Building Information Modelling to construct more sustainable buildings and
establishment of BEAM Plus as an environmental assessment scheme for building management.
Some building have been constructed and operated smartly to save energy costs and reduce
adverse environmental impacts. For example, Standard chartered Office successfully reduced the
consumptions of electricity and water by installing sensor systems and intelligent LED lighting
(figure 6). Nonetheless, Hong Kong could go further in encouraging a greener and more sustainable
community by more adoption of smart technologies to raise the living quality of residents.
Figure 10 Standard Chartered Office in central with intelligent networks to save energy costs
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Figure 6 Standard Chartered Office in central with intelligent networks to save energy costs
Source: SCMP, 2015
Proposals
Green Town
8.3.35
Unlike small-scale projects, developing a green town
requires the implementations of more comprehensive
and thorough planning and design strategies to achieve
the aim of striking a balance between economic
development and environmental preservation (Global
Environment Centre Foundation, 2005). Rather than
only applying piecemeal strategies to improve one or
few fields of resource management, green town
development can offer a holistic plan for the new
community.
8.3.36
Taking the experience of Singapore as an example, smart technologies such as environmental
modelling in the early stages could allow the planners and other professionals to create a better
plan with optimal utilisation of natural resources and reductions of unnecessary resource uses. For
instance, by placing outdoor amenities at appropriate locations, implementation of excessive
lighting fixtures could be reduced. The modelling could further identify suitable locations for
setting renewable energy generation devices (Channel Newsasia, 2015).
8.3.37
Green towns could further decrease the harmful impact on environment by leveraging the existing
geographical advantage. Green towns should be planned and developed based on local context
and people’s lifestyles, attaining a balance between satisfying the needs of people while protecting
the environment. For example, the plan of Punggol in Singapore has included a traversing
waterway to provide a better and greener living environment and more recreational activities to
the residents (High Commission of the Republic of Singapore, 2012). In Japan, the transformation
of industrial town into eco-friendly town focuses on improving the degrading environmental and
waste reduction (Global Environment Centre Foundation, 2012). This does not only create a
greener environment but reduces the use of resources, but also uplifts the living environment of
residents. Apart from green technology, educations for the people, allowing them to more actively
participate in go-green practices are also emphasised in green town planning (High Commission of
the Republic of Singapore, 2012).
8.3.38
Learning from the experiences of Singapore and Japan, appropriate technological adoption is
fundamental for creating a green town, the importance of other aspects including investigation of
local contexts and public education must also be considered.
Smart Building
8.3.39
The Smart grid is an increasingly popular innovation aimed at reducing resource usage.
Conventionally, water and energy supplies are merely one-way service with low flexibility to ever63 | P a g e
changing demands and consumption patterns. By inserting sensors and monitors, the system can
record the consumption and connect the power plants and other resource-providing facilities with
the users. The utility provider can adjust the supply and thus the resource generation according to
the analysed data, responding quickly to the demand (Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability, n.d.). The two-way communication and the control system can allow more effective and
coordinative resource allocations, hence reducing harmful impacts caused by resource
mismanagement.
8.3.40
More than benefiting the territorial resource management, Smart Grids also brings advantages to
the building scale. Energy Management System (EMS) and smart metres are technological devices
that connect with Smart Grids to collect data related to resource uses. The collected data does not
only be transferred to the resource provider, but also the users. Educating the consumers is a
significant function of Smart Grids, allowing them understand the impact of their own behaviour
on the environment. Smart metres can analyse and evaluate the consumption patterns of its
consumers, offer alternate choices and enables them to make better decisions on how and when
to use resources automatically (Geisler, 2013). Hence, Smart grids will eventually improve the
domestic performance on resource saving and will help to reduce the water and energy costs.
8.3.41
In Hong Kong, the concept of green towns could be implemented in new town planning. Although
the plan of North East New Territories New Development Areas (NENT NDA) discussed green
designs such as preservation of wind corridors, applications of energy-saving utilities and vertical
greening (Planning Department, CEDD and ARUP, 2013), it could go deeper by considering other
aspects like eco-friendly mobility and better waste management. New town planning is a desirable
opportunity to test new concepts and green technologies.
8.3.42
The implementation of smart building is more flexible in that technologies and smart devices can
be installed upon the existing buildings. Public housing which is managed by the government are
good pilot sites to adopt the smart building technologies. New public housing estates in Kai Tak,
including Kai Ching Estate and Tak Long Estate are particularly recommended since Kai Tak is one
of the areas included in “Smart City in Kowloon East” (Development Bureau, 2012). Therefore,
smart city measures could be more effectively conducted and evaluated.
Implications
8.3.43
Construction of green towns and smart buildings greatly benefits the general public who in turn,
obtain a better living environment. Smarter buildings and community do not only create a greener
and more sustainable environment, but also comprehensively addresses the needs of different
stakeholders. ICT talents and companies could gain more business opportunities and new fields of
technology explorations due to increased number of new innovation applications.
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Solid Waste Management
Current Situation
8.3.44
Large, high-density cities are prone to producing equally large amounts of waste and Hong Kong is
no exception. Since 1986, economic and population growth has contributed to the increasing
amount of waste produced in Hong Kong (Environmental Protection Department (EPD), 2016). To
address this issue, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has established, “a Chemical
Waste Treatment Centre, three strategic landfills and a network of refuse transfer stations” (EPD,
2016). Furthermore, the EPD has tried to improve the sustainability of older landfills have been
phased out, treated and restored for the purpose of different recreational uses (EPD, 2016). The
most pressing problem that Hong Kong now faces is unsustainable growth of waste going to the
region’s three landfills. The landfills were designed to last until 2020, but have since been projected
to be completely filled by 2015 (EPD. 2005).
Proposals
8.3.45
In addition to sustainable measures like reuse
and recycling, waste management in smart cities
should be addressed through a two-part waste
reduction approach. First, waste must be
minimized at the initial stage. This can be done
through the implementation of IoT technology
in places like grocery stores, which can help
improve asset and material tracking, thereby
allowing
for
dynamic
stock
adjustments
(Linklabs, 2015). The benefits of this is that less
waste is created initially, thereby reducing the
amount of potential waste. By reducing the
initial amount of waste, the burden to dispose
Figure 11 Waste reduction
Source: Ecube Labs, 2016
waste later will be greatly reduced.
8.3.46
The second part of waste reduction consists of
the disposal method of generated waste. While
Hong Kong employs the use of landfills,
technologies
like
incinerators
should
be
incorporated to reduce the amount of waste
that ends up in the landfills, therefore
prolonging a landfill’s life. New technological
innovations have allowed incinerators to be
more environmentally friendly and efficient. Figure 12 Waste-to-energy plant (incinerator)
Furthermore, new methods of waste disposal
Source: Keppel Corperation Limited, 2010
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like plasma gasification have begun to gain more traction. Plasma gasification helps not only to
reduce the amount of waste, but also to produce recyclable commodities like slag as well as fuel in
the form of synthetic gas (Waste Management World, 2009).
Figure 13 Plasma gasification (process)
Source: GiRo Waste to Energy, n.d.
Implication
8.3.47
Whilst the first section of the waste reduction approach does not require any specific spatial needs,
the second part has particular requirements. First and foremost a sizeable piece of land upon which
an incineration/plasma gasification plant can be built on. This is particularly challenging in Hong
Kong where land is scarce. Furthermore, this land should be at distance from residential or
commercial zones/activities to minimize any potential hygienic issues. A potential site for waste
reduction facilities can include the land adjacent or on an existing landfill. This helps to not only
maximize the efficiency of disposing the waste, but landfill sites should have already been carefully
considered in terms of impact to the surrounding sites.
8.3.48
The implications of reducing the amount of local solid waste are twofold. While government has
to address the cost of implementation and process of finding an appropriate site, the long-term
benefits (i.e. less overall waste, prolonged landfill lifespan, etc.) should be justification enough.
Citizens will have to contribute by wasting less though reduction and recycling, but they also
benefit from a healthier environment with less waste contamination.
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8.4
Improve Economic Foundation
8.4.1
The economy of a smart city involves an ICT based foundation. Through supporting the
development of ICT, it shall act as the driver of innovation and growth to enhance city
competitiveness. To improve the economic foundation, the team has proposed a series of
measures including setting up data centre, providing flexible ways of work and nurturing ICT talents.
Following are the details of the proposed measures:
Data Centres
8.4.2
The economy is changing, not only are new industries entering the market, but old sectors are also
being revamped. This could be attributed to the pervasive rise of Information Communication
Technology (ICT). Ubiquitous in nature, ICT has forced players in the economy to enter a digital
space traditionally occupied by technological firms. Unbeknown to many, is that this shift to a
digital space has significant physical implications. For example, cloud services which you can freely
access on multiple devices, requires a server which hosts your particular cloud data. This server is
most likely located in a larger data centre. The provision of data centres have become an important
part in improving the economic foundations of a smart city. So how does Hong Kong fare in
providing such crucial infrastructure?
Current Situation
8.4.3
Building on its strength as a major financial, trading and logistics hub, Hong Kong recognises that
companies in the aforementioned economic sectors will look to set up data centre facilities. Hong
Kong presents an ideal place to set up Data Centres because of the high degree of information
freedom, whilst being so geospatially close to Mainland China. Additionally, Hong Kong has some
of the most reliable electricity suppliers in the world, with 99.999% reliability and a fully-developed,
advanced telecommunications infrastructure (OGCIO, 2016). In terms of the spatial implications of
developing Data Centres, it appears that the local government is fully committed to the
development of Data Centres. In addition to approving applications for the conversion of industrial
buildings into Data Centres, the government has set aside space in the Tseung Kwan O Industrial
Estate specifically for the development of data centres (Enterprise Innovation, 2016). The Tseung
Kwan O Industrial Estate is home to over ten Data Centres run by large ICT companies like IBM and
NTT Communications (Enterprise Innovation, 2015; Ko, 2012) (figure 11 & 12). The biggest concern
for Hong Kong in developing more Data Centres is the spatial requirements. Simply put, there is a
lack of land in Hong Kong, as such there is little space for dedicated data centre land. Instead, other
alternatives are currently being explored, like industrial buildings. Currently there are fifteen, Tier
3 Data Centres housed in industrial buildings (OGCIO, n.d.).
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Figure 14 NTT Communications Hong Kong Financial Data Center, with
Tier 4 ready infrastructure
Source: HKNET, n.d.
Figure 15 Hong Kong Data Center, one of the Tier 3 data centres
Source: HKNET, n.d.
Proposals
8.4.4
While Hong Kong has made an impressive push in attracting the development of Data Centres,
there is more that can be done. In particular the provision of Tier 4 Data Centres should provide an
incentive for global companies. Redundancy is key in establishing a Tier 4 Data Centre. Lessons can
be taken from Singapore’s Data Centre Park where 13 hectares of land has been set aside for the
development of Data Centres. The park itself allows for dual power feeds, redundant sources of
cooling and network path diversity (Jones, 2014). To minimize the loss of power during
transmission, an on-site power plant is included in the plans while a high capacity fibre-optic
network is also provided for the Data Centre Park (Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), 2013).
Implications
8.4.5
As mentioned above, the main obstacle Hong Kong faces in facilitating the development of Data
Centres is finding a sizeable piece of land. For Hong Kong to create a Data Centre Park, a sizeable
lot of land must first be found. Second the provisions of power and cooling are also of vital
importance. While Hong Kong has two extremely reliable power companies supplying electricity to
the entire city, an on-site dedicated power plant would definitely aid the development of Tier 4
Data Centres. Similarly, cooling has to be adequately provided, either in the form of freshwater or
seawater. The difference in cooling source will also affect the location of the Data Centres as fresh
water cooling systems require space for a water tower, while seawater cooling systems should
ideally be located in proximity to the shore to minimize the amount of piping needed to channel
the water. Additionally, fast broadband network connections must be provided for data centres to
function at peak efficiency. While industrial buildings are also being considered as spaces to house
new Data Centres, these buildings will have to be retrofitted with the proper infrastructure.
Furthermore, improper physical layout and location of the industrial sites might hinder the
development of higher tier Data Centres, so careful considerations must be taken when identifying
suitable industrial buildings.
8.4.6
In terms of the implications on stakeholders, Data Centres hold enormous potential for the local
Government. If properly implemented, Data Centres can attract multinational corporations (MNCs)
to Hong Kong and encourage them to host their data locally. Furthermore, as more companies flock
to Hong Kong, there is the possibility that Hong Kong will transform into an entrepôt of data, giving
the city an economic edge in the age of ICT. As for private firms, the provision of more Data Centres
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can only be more beneficial. As mentioned before, more MNCs will set up their offices locally,
thereby stimulating the local economy.
Flexible Working Environment
Current Situation
8.4.7
Given the significance of SMEs and startups in the development of smart city, it is important for
Hong Kong to put efforts in helping the companies to set up and expand their businesses. Currently,
there are various measures ranging from incubation programmes to technology and innovation
funds. The government has released its 2016-2017 Budget this year with a series of support
measures including tax cuts, business registration fee waiver from registrations and a Pilot
Technology Voucher Program to support SMEs and startups (HKSAR, 2016). Notwithstanding, with
a growing trend of co-working space which promotes high flexibility and work-life balance, it seems
that the government should put wider focus in supporting and encouraging more employers to
adopt flexible ways of working.
8.4.8
Co-working space serves as an alternative option for SMEs and startups, with more affordable rents
when compared with the soaring rentals of traditional offices in Hong Kong. Effective
communication, which is one of the key success factors at work, is promoted by the co-working
space working style. By enjoying a more sociable way of working in a workspace shared by
companies of different types and sizes, it could foster connections among tenants. The encouraged
interactions could facilitate synergy and generate business opportunities with potential partners.
8.4.9
As reflected by our interviewee who was an Operation Manager of one of the co-working spaces
in Hong Kong, 30 companies operating flexible and short-term co-working spaces could be
currently found in Hong Kong. However, the market information is incomplete as there is a lack of
platform providing the information of all available co-working spaces in Hong Kong. With an
absence of such information platform, it might hinder interested startup clients from selecting the
best location for their businesses.
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Figure 16 Strategy I: Coworking space
Source: PaperClipHK, n.d.
Proposals
Establish an Information Centre
8.4.10
To facilitate the information flow regarding the co-working space market, the government is
suggested to establish an information platform to ensure the potential space users could identify
suitable locations for setting up their businesses. The providers of co-working space should be
required to register to the responsible departments so that the government could ensure the
credibility and provide updated information to the platform. Besides, the government should also
record its existing initiatives such as funding schemes and technical support programmes on the
information platform, so that the SMEs and startups could make use of the assistance offered by
the government when necessary.
Smart Work Centre
8.4.11
In light of the need to render the community a more flexible and balanced working style, the
government of Singapore, together with the help of Regus, has launched the Smart Work Centre
(SWC) at three public libraries to facilitate people at work in differing ways. In these multifunctional SWCs, the tenants could enjoy a fully equipped working environment in which they
could make good use of the individual working desks as well as meeting spaces when necessary.
Electronic supports, such as high-speed Wi-Fi, video-conferencing services, and printing devices,
are also available for free use (IDA, 2016).
Figure 17 The Information & Communications Technology Experience Centre, Singapore
Source: SMARK, 2016
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8.4.12
Learning from Singapore, the Hong Kong government could strategically launch the SWCs at public
libraries within major residential areas where residential homes are proximate, and thus the
employees could greatly reduce commuting time to their offices. Easy-access to library resources
is another benefit of SWCs establishment. By located within the public libraries, users are able to
search the relevant books, audio visual materials and information resources which could assist
their professional development when necessary. In addition, the firms could utilise the SWCs,
which are flexible and allow short-term rental, as extra working space for short-term additional
workforce during peak seasons of their businesses. To cater the emerging new ways of work, the
government should launch the SWCs in major residential hubs in the coming five years as a trial,
with a view to provide a new form of flexi-work option, as well as to help SMEs and startups solve
rental and distance management issues.
Implications
8.4.13
Both co-working spaces and the SWCs could allow the workforce to be more flexible and to achieve
better work-life balance. For the SWCs initiative, it gives alternatives to the employers offering
their staffs to obtain more flexible work arrangements, by providing professional office facilities
closer to homes. For instance, it could allow working mothers to better fulfill their family
commitments (IDA, 2016). For co-working space, it compromises the boundaries between work
and leisure. With a higher flexibility, users could control their working hours and set a more
efficient work schedule, hence, to improve the work-life balance.
8.4.14
The SWCs could also help with talent attraction with a more engaged workforce. As companies
could grow without geographical constraints by using the SWCs, the employers could reach out to
untapped talent pool that was not available to them previously due to the long travelling time
required between their homes and offices. The increased level of workforce participation thus
benefits the economy of Hong Kong.
Cultivate ICT talents
Current Situation
8.4.15
Talent resourcing is a vital element in facilitating smart city development. While there is an existing
base of ICT talent in Hong Kong, the shift to a more ICT oriented industry will require a larger ICT
savvy workforce. The trend in Hong Kong is that people tend to work in the finance, business, law
or service industries. Therefore there is a lack of people who work in the technology
industry. Some surveys reveal that only 0.9% of employees in Hong Kong work for technology
companies, and only 10.9% of graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) work for ICT companies (Our Hong Kong Foundation, 2015).
8.4.16
Even though the Enriched IT Program in Secondary Schools is enacted by the Education Bureau to
finance 100 schools for wireless network construction and electronic facilities (Education Bureau,
2013), Furthermore, Hong Kong has launched the School Web Care Campaign and Unified Internet
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Training Programme (UITP) to reduce the digital gap. However, it is reported that secondary school
students who attend ICT courses have decreased by more than 50% since 2012; the other initiatives
have also failed to meet the needs of the general public, especially those who are interested in
ICT. (HKSMB, 2013; Internet Professional Association (iProA), 2011)
Proposals
Provide more training in ICT industry
8.4.17
An ICT talent base is essential in the
development of smart cities. ICT will be
ubiquitous and pervasive in a smart city, as
such, the city needs people who can
understand and fully utilize ICT. To foster
this ICT talent base, Hong Kong can
introduce
a
new
initiative
in
which
government, in partnership with industry
leaders
provide
life-long
learning
opportunities as well as the training and
resources needed to stay relevant in an ever changing economic landscape. In terms of the
educational system, training can also start before the tertiary education to learn fundamental
computer skills. The Education Bureau can provide consistent learning opportunity for elementary
and secondary schools. In addition, the study content should be continuously reviewed to make
sure that students can up-to-date with the latest technology.
Implications
8.4.18
For continuous learning, the government and private sector have to provide the resources need
for the training program. This will help to cultivate an ICT talent base that will be well suited to
address the increasing use of ICT in the economy. This talent base can then serve a mentorship role
for the next generation, thereby encouraging a cycle of continuous learning.
8.4.19
Educational and research institutions will also play a key role in the provision of ICT talents. First,
there will be a need for the aforementioned institutions to self-educate themselves in terms of
newer technologies. This will involve new subsidies and funding to encourage and develop such an
educational base. After they have acquired the skills and knowledge, they can then impart this unto
their students or peers. Moreover, this early exposure to ICT will help students to quickly adapt
and be more accepting of changes brought upon by said technology.
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8.5
Support a Proactive Public Administration
8.5.1
To ensure comprehensive implementation of smart city strategies, the setup of an advisory
committee is proposed to coordinate the overall smart city development. Opinions from the major
stakeholders will be collected and passed on to the Chief Executive in policy formulations. A clear
vision is hence developed in developing Hong Kong as a smart city. Furthermore, an encouraging
legal and regulatory environment is also crucial in encouraging innovation and enhancing creativity.
Establish a Smart City Committee
Current Situation
8.5.2
As mentioned in previous section, bureaucracy is one of the issues hindering smart city
development in Hong Kong. ITB was established in 2015 for formulating policies related to
innovation and technology, including Smart City development (Information Services Department,
2015). However, the ITB is one of the bureaus under the leadership of the Financial Secretary which
posses limited influences on the agendas set in different bureaus. Under this circumstance, it is
difficult for the ITB to map out a holistic and comprehensive plan.
8.5.3
Therefore, organising an advisory committee which is formed by the representatives from different
departments is hereby proposed. A clear vision and direction is crucial for developing Smart City,
this requires collaborative effort from various government department. In fact, EKEO is an attempt
to establish joint effort from different government departments under the Development Bureau,
yet, collaboration at a higher level is needed in order to carry out a territory wide development
project.
Proposals
8.5.4
Smart City Committee should advise the Chief
Executive directly on the formulation of the
smart city vision and policy direction. From
the experience of Singapore and Barcelona, a
high level government body can effectively
facilitate the formulation and implementation
of Smart City development strategies. With
strong leadership, policy implementation
could be smoothened. The Committee set up
at a higher rank could also serve the purpose of coordinating efforts from various departments and
ensure targets could be met.
8.5.5
The Smart City Committee should be responsible for gathering and consolidating views from
various stakeholders, reviewing the existing socio-economic, legal and regulatory environment of
Hong Kong and identifying challenges and opportunities for smart city development. The
Committee should then develop a strategy for smart city development, identify the policy targets,
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make recommendations to the Executive Council and providing policy support to policy bureaux
and departments.
8.5.6
It is of paramount importance for the Committee to address the public at the early stage of strategy
development and policy formulation process. Being an important player in the Smart City
development process, the general public shall be educated, consulted and engaged. Society needs
time to learn, understand and absorb about the concept and latest innovations. Through holding
several rounds of public engagement exercises, be they formal or informal, across the territory, the
Committee may understand the concerns and opinion of the public. These valuable voices will give
insights to the Committee in order to steer development works.
8.5.7
The Committee is going to be staffed by representatives from relevant government departments,
legal professions and stakeholders. Regular meetings would be held on a quarterly basis. A new
Administrative Officer is to be recruited which is responsible for preparing policy documents,
liaising different personnel and developing publicity programmes.
8.5.8
Since the vision and direction would initiate the development of smart city so setting up a Smart
City Committee must be the first step. The Smart City Committee would stimulate and promote
intra- and inter sectoral collaboration. Most importantly, setting up a clear vision and direction
would provide a clear framework for Smart City development.
Improve Government Data Sharing Platforms
Current Situation
8.5.9
Data sharing by the government is an important component in transforming Hong Kong into a
smart city. However, there is room for improvement regarding the current data sharing
mechanisms and platforms. As an interviewed Legislative councillor mentioned, the coordination
and sharing of data between various government departments is seldom. This lack of coordination
does not only hinder the efficiency of public services, but also hampers the comprehensiveness of
the provided data. An interviewed senior government town planner illustrated that data collection
and analysis within government were by department-basis and mostly projected-based. The
information then becomes hard to compile because of the fragmented and piecemeal nature, as it
was seldom meant to be utilised by other departments. In the cases where the same kind of data
is needed by different departments, the adoption of various types of software systems and
formatting, makes the data by each department incompatible with each other.
8.5.10
Besides, the accessibility of the data remains relatively low despite their online availability.
Satisfactory data research experience should fulfil the Three-click rule, meaning, “users should be
able to find any information within a website using no more than three mouse clicks” (Thurow,
2014). The interface design of the online platforms should also be user-friendly in order to offer an
efficient and simple experience. Currently, the design and user interface of most of the Hong Kong
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government’s online platforms and data archives are quite complex, requiring the general public
to spend extended time in finding useful data.
Proposals
Inter-departmental Data System Coordination
8.5.11
Standardizing the data system and format among different departments should be the first step in
establishing a unified data bank. A shared internal platform could be created to allow different
departments the ability to upload their collected data. The formatting should also be standardised
in order to avoid incompatibility. Time and monetary costs in the long run could be reduced due to
the minimization of repetitive data collection. A comprehensive data bank could also assist the
analytical tasks, thereby further encouraging deeper investigations by the departments, facilitating
better policymaking.
Improve
Interface
of
Government
Websites
8.5.12
Numerous data sharing platforms are
offered by the government such as
data.gov.hk and Statutory Planning
Portal (ozp.tpb.gov.hk). The data search
engine on the websites could be
reengineered to be more user-friendly
Figure 18 Current layout of data.gov.hk
by categorising search results. Their
interfaces need to be redesign to be
more
intuitive
cluttered,
and
efficient
provide
access
less
routes.
Together, these changes can enhance
the user experience, raising the interest
of the public on exploring government
data.
Implications
8.5.13
Figure 19 Current layout of ozp.tpb.gov.hk
Data sharing by government benefits various stakeholders, not only can government reduce efforts
by creating a coordinated system among different departments, but more public participation
could be fostered as data becomes more transparent and accessible.
Regulatory Adjustment
Current Situation
8.5.14
Legislation is vital in enabling and facilitating innovation. However, “Law often fails to catch up with
the technology development” (Tse, 2015). The laws of Hong Kong, reflect this as they do not quickly
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respond towards innovation. From the case of Uber, It illustrates the grey area in existing
regulations, this new business model possibly violates the Road Traffic Ordinance (section 52(3))
that “no person shall drive or use a private car without a valid hire car permit to carry passengers
for hire or reward” (Transport Department, 2009). This reflects an unfavourable environment for
innovation and startups in Hong Kong, indicating that Hong Kong needs to update laws immediately
to provide more room for innovation.
Proposals
Regulatory Adjustment to Make Innovation Survive and Grow
8.5.15
New technologies used by Uber, such as a mobile app
payment system based on GPS tracking are beneficial for
the users in term of convenience and efficiency. The
beneficial results are evidence that the local government
should embrace not only new technologies, but also the
new business models that accompany such innovation.
Therefore there needs to be adjustments made by the
local
government
paradigms.
to
accommodate
such
new
To accommodate the aforementioned
adjustments, the government has to first clarify the grey
area in the existing legislative framework. This will help to provide new companies with the
confidence and security to invest in the local economy.
Regulatory Adjustment to Fix the Loopholes
8.5.16
The existing regulatory development cannot keep pace with the speed of technological
advancement. There are plenty of regulatory loopholes, resulting in the under-institutionalisation
of internet governance. Laws governing data collection and retention, protection of civil liberty,
and criminal dealings are considered as obsolete, vague or otherwise not easily implemented. For
example, the existing provision on “access to computer with criminal or dishonest intent” under
the Crimes Ordinance (Section 161) fails to explicate under what circumstances an act can
constitute a breach of the law. Furthermore, as commented by a lawyer, the existing anticybercrime regime only “addressed the problems that existed in the early 1990s before the
internet boom in the new millennium ... [and] there has been relatively little progress in legislative
development in relation to cybercrimes since 1993” (Norris, 2010). The fact that less than 3 per
cent of reported computer crimes are brought to the court can be attributed to the lack of legal
clarity and relevance (Norris, 2010). It is thus suggested that the Government should revisit the
existing legislative framework, in particular relation to illegal access to personal data, email scams,
and scams on social networks. This can enhance the degree of institutionalisation of the internet
governance in Hong Kong.
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8.5.17
Meanwhile, there are standards and guidelines introduced by the Privacy Commissioner for
Personal Data for governing the use of personal data (see the Six Data Principal, Office of the
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, 2010). One key loophole is a leak of customer information.
Given that the law does not require for a compulsory reporting of irregularities in data
management, any accidental leak of customer information may go unnoticed and be used for
criminal purposes.
Implications
8.5.18
Even though innovations may improve the way people live, it will also undoubtedly challenge
traditional business models as well as the related interest groups. For example, if Airbnb .were
allowed to freely operate in Hong Kong, the local hotel industry will have to adapt to this new
competition. This will change the status quo which will cause private companies to put pressure on
the government due to their perceived violation of interests. Therefore the challenge is for
government to strike a balance between embracing new innovative industries and the traditional
industries.
8.5.19
For the idea of smart city to be accepted and supported by the public, the Hong Kong Government
should set out a regulatory reform which requires the private sector to implement appropriate
strategies for protecting personal information. While this would involve assigning administrative
resources in day-to-day enforcement actions, the benefits arising from better practices can
transform Hong Kong into a strategic business centre for data management.
Participatory Planning
Current Situation
8.5.20
Town planning nowadays are characterised by the need for a more integrated planning approach
and more active public engagement and inclusion of stakeholders in the planning processes,
starting from plan drafting to final decision making. To enable citizen co-creation, an open
government with visually available and accessible information and participatory platforms is
significant in order to promote civic engagement (Lee, Hancock & Hu, 2012). In Hong Kong, public
engagement usually is conducted in forms of workshops and forums. Public opinions and proposals
are also encouraged in the planning process.
8.5.21
Other than promoting 官產學研 gun1 caan2 hok6 jin4, the Government shall also foster the public
engagement in Smart City development. Smart City aims to create a people-oriented city to cater
the diverse needs of the citizens. Therefore, their voices should be carefully addressed. The well
mixture of top-down and bottom-up planning and management approaches set good cornerstone
for successful Smart City development (Neirotti, De Marco, Cagliano, Mangano & Scorrano, 2014).
8.5.22
Provision of geospatial data greatly affects the participation of stakeholders in the process of town
planning. In Hong Kong, all the data are kept confidential for internal government purposes except
GeoInfo Map and Statutory Planning Portal (Our Hong Kong Foundation, 2015). Therefore,
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provision of geospatial data and utilisation of geoplanning systems could be considered to support
more vibrant public participation and more proactive planning process.
Proposals
Encourage Participatory Planning
8.5.23
The prerequisite for enhancing public
participation is high data transparency that
the public have to understand the context
before providing suggestions. Learning the
experience from Singapore, Kashiwanoha
and Korea, the government could offer
online
platforms
information
and
to
data,
deliver
relevant
simultaneously
accepting opinions from the citizen through
these online channels. Public opinion could be raised online through the Statutory Planning Portal
or the website of Planning Department.
8.5.24
Some new planning software systems could greatly assist public participation in urban planning
process. Taking Geoplanner as an example, the system utilises the data sharing platforms and
Geographic-Information System (GIS) with simple operations. It could collect ideas from different
stakeholder, facilitating collaboration on decision making on planning and design issues (Srivastava,
2014). The government could efficiently get other stakeholders involved in planning process with
adoption of such advanced planning system.
8.5.25
According to one senior government town planner, the government planners and other officers
may not be familiar with new data systems due to no relevant training. In order to construct a
comprehensive spatial database and utilise updated digital planning systems, the government can
assist to nurture experts of operation data systems by offering training and education.
Implications
8.5.26
The empowered citizens possess more opportunities to plan and design their communities. Though
discussion and negotiation of the planning process might be longer due to more involved
stakeholders and the government possibly needs to spare extra costs on coordination, the higher
public participation could likely reduce social conflicts and enhance the social bonds, fostering the
social sustainability.
Utilities
8.5.27
Utilities are an important component of any city, they provide the foundations on which the cities
operate. While there are many different types of utilities, the focus of the following discussion will
centre on three main utilities: solid waste management, electricity and water. These three utilities
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are vital components of all cities, they are necessary parts of daily living and must be addressed in
a smart and sustainable manner. The management of these utilities in the local context of Hong
Kong has seen some success in varying degrees. The most pressing problem that Hong Kong faces
is management of solid waste. All of the region’s landfills are being quickly filled up, while the lack
of available land further. On the other hand, electricity and water management has been well
managed in Hong Kong, but there is still room for improvements. With new ICT technology enabling
smarter, more efficient and sustainable methods of providing these utilities, the next section will
look at smarter ways to enhance the management of solid waste, electricity, and water.
Electricity
Current Situation
8.5.28
The provision of electricity is crucial to all cities. In Hong Kong, electricity is provided by two
suppliers, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) and The Hong Kong Electric Company Limited (HK
Electric) (ISD, 2015). CLP supplies power to Kowloon, the New Territories and most of the outlying
islands, including Lantau and Cheung Chau. CLP generates electricity through three main power
facilities that run primarily on natural gas or coal (CLP, 2016b). Similarly, HK Electric generates the
majority of its energy capacity at the Lamma Power Station through coal and natural gas; also a
small portion of power is generated by alternative sources such as wind and solar (HK Electric,
2016). The energy grids of both suppliers are also connected in the case where one experiences
failure, the other can provide emergency support (CITE, Information services department).
Together both companies have a reliability of 99.999% (CLP, 2016a; HK Electric, 2016). While there
isn’t any pressing concerns in Hong Kong regarding the supply of electricity, the system used is one
based on centralized power generation, which is relatively inefficient. In the tradition centralized
system, a lot of the energy is lost through conversion, transmission and distribution to the end user.
Proposals
8.5.29
There are several measures that can be
introduced to make a more efficient energy
grid. Gaining a lot of traction lately is the
concept of a smart grid. While smart grids
consist of plenty of components that are
usually context specific to each supplier, they
all share a similar purpose of creating a more
efficient power grid through the use of ICT.
Essentially, smart grids utilize ICT technology to create two-way communication between the
electric company and its clients, allowing suppliers to specifically cater to the needs of said clients
(CLP, 2016c). Another interesting concept being introduced in the United Kingdom is the idea of
decentralised energy. Decentralised energy is essentially power generated closer to where it will
be used, rather than through the centralised grid (E.ON.UK, n.d.). Decentralization allows for a
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reduction in energy loss during transmission and encourages the utilization of sustainable, microrenewable energy sources (i.e. solar, geothermal, biomass, etc).
Implications
8.5.30
In terms of the local context, the spatial implications for the implementation of a smart grid system
depends largely on CLP and/or HK Electric. Perhaps the most challenging part of implementing a
smart grid system is connecting all the various clients to the network. Both power suppliers would
have to retrofit existing clients with smart meters that either connect wirelessly or through a hard
line connection to the network. Decentralization on the other hand has greater spatial implications.
If carried out to its full potential, large transmission towers would not need to be built. Instead,
decentralized energy systems requires energy generation within a small spatial scale connected by
local grids. Therefore in the local context, the urban environment would have to be fitted with
energy-production sources like solar panels. The biggest implication of these strategies would
affect the private suppliers.
8.5.31
If smart grids are the future, then those companies who provide such infrastructure would surely
dominate the market. However if the decentralized energy system were to be utilized, a
restructuring of the current electricity market would be in order. Most importantly, the citizens of
the city would benefit from both types of approach as they aim to create a more sustainable form
of energy supply.
Water Management
Current Situation
8.5.32
In terms of water supply, Hong Kong benefits greatly from its proximity to the Pearl River Delta.
Approximately 70-80% of local potable water is imported from China’s Dongjiang River, while the
remaining 20-30% is comprised of water captured by the local catchment system (Water Supplies
Department (WSD), 2015). While there is an abundant supply of water from which Hong Kong can
draw from, rapid industrial development, urbanisation and population growth in the Pearl River
Delta could threaten access to this supply. Additionally, an aging network of local water mains have
caused an unnecessary wastage of water during distribution. Leakage rates reach a high in 2000,
at 25% while the figures last year came in at 15%. These rates are much higher than other smart
cities like Singapore, 5% and Tokyo, 3.3%. (Civil Exchange, 2015)
Proposals
8.5.33
To address the issues above, Hong Kong can draw lessons
from Singapore. Self-sufficiency is the goal in Singapore,
through projects like NEWater and Desalination (Straits
Times, 2014). Essentially, Sewage water undergoes a
process of microfiltration, reverse osmosis and Ultraviolet
disinfection until it becomes drinkable or suitable for use in
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industry. Desalination technology can help Hong Kong make use of its large coastline to process
sea-water for consumption. These two sources are expected to meet up to 80% of Singapore’s
water needs (Straits Times, 2014). If properly implemented locally, sewage water processing and
desalination in addition to the supply of local catchment water should allow Hong Kong to be
similarly self-sufficient in terms of water supply. To address the issues of aging water mains, Hong
Kong can look to ICT technology in which sensors can be retrofitted on the aforementioned pipes.
In Singapore, this is has been done through the Water Wireless Sentinel (WaterWiSe) project in
which a sensor network infrastructure continuously and accurately monitors the water distribution
system (National Research Foundation, 2014).
Implications
8.5.34
Perhaps the most spatially impactful among the three utilities, the application of the
aforementioned improvement measures will require careful planning to find a suitable site and
avoid potential adverse environmental impacts. While there are many water treatment plants in
Hong Kong, these plants currently only treat freshwater from the Dongjiang River. New water
treatment facilities will need to be built to treat wastewater. Considerations including finding
available space,and access to existing water mains and sewage pipes must be addressed.
Desalination plants also have specific requirements. Ideally they need to be located close to a
source of seawater and like the sewage water treatment facilities, they must be connected to the
network of water mains. Finally, to address the issue of aging water mains, retrofitting sensors onto
existing water mains will definitely cause inconveniences due to their underground nature. It is
suggested that instead of retrofitting sensors, new pipes with sensors already attached be installed
instead, reducing the need to change or fix the pipes at a future date. Comprehensive planning for
such facilities could effectively minimise environmental costs, such as water pollution, attaining
sustainable provision of water.
8.5.35
The application of these initiatives will have significant implications for government. Once again
the cost and process of funding new water treatment plants and finding possible sites will not be
so easily addressed, especially when the current supply of water from the Dongjiang River is more
than adequate. However, the question will be whether to implement such changes first or wait
until the status quo changes. Furthermore, the government must also find the resources to fix and
repair the aging water main network.
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8.6
Encourage Regional Interaction
8.6.1
In the age of globalisation, it is difficult for Hong Kong to rely only on its own efforts for city
development. The idea of smart city-region has been receiving increasing attention from the policy
community. Meanwhile, there is an increasing recognition that a more robust smart city
development agenda can be achieved through engaging those existing agencies within the same
geographical region. Hong Kong should explore opportunities for regional cooperation. With rapid
development in the field of R&D, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been transformed into first-tier
cities and connected to the global network of technological innovation. Regarding the importance
of technological innovation as an indispensable driver for economic upgrading, Hong Kong should
seize the opportunities to develop regional strategies and policies in order to promote
technological integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Strategies suggested could be
categorised into two aspects, regional cooperation and institutional collaboration. It is thus
proposed that a smart region agenda be developed in order to harness the opportunities arising
from the ever-increasing regional integration of the Pearl River Delta. The Strategies we suggested
could be categorised into two aspects, regional cooperation and institutional collaboration.
Regional Cooperation
8.6.2
In the aspect of regional cooperation, we propose some amendments and suggestions on several
existing development projects to make them fit into the development of Smart City in Hong Kong.
Lok Ma Chau Loop – Establishing a Cross-Boundary R&D Centre
8.6.3
Adjacent to Shenzhen, the Lok Ma Chau Loop (LMC) has a geographical advantage to promote
regional cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In recent years, substantial growth has
been witnessed in the technology sector of Shenzhen. Several high-tech conglomerates such as
Tencent and DJI have established their regional production centres in the city. Establishing a new
cross-boundary R&D centre could thus provide an opportunity for Hong Kong to become
embedded in the regional and national network of high-tech industrial development. The centre
could offer a convenient location for conferences and minimise the travel time of the Mainland
researchers. The centre could also enhance the R&D’s capacity of Hong Kong.
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Figure 20 Aerial photo showing the Location of Lok Ma Chau Loop
Source: Planning Department, 2014
Proposals
8.6.4
Although the Hong Kong Government has proposed initial direction of territorial planning in the
LMC Loop, it lacks a clear direction on how the area will be used to foster smart city development.
Hence, we propose to make some amendments in order to integrate the Smart City development
through LMC Loop development. Based on our proposal, instead of putting high-tech R&D and
creative economy together, the development in the LMC Loop should focus on solely on R&D.
According to the consultancy report regarding the LMC loop development released by the Hong
Kong Government, 8.2 hectares (9.4% of the whole LMC loop) would be zoned as “High-tech
R&D/Creative Economy”. However, the “Creative Economy” land use should indeed be excluded
from this categorisation. This is not to say that high-tech R&D and creative economies are not
compatible; rather, it is about scientific-technological innovations is more locational-dependent
than a creative economy. It is expected that such spatial arrangements can generate a new synergy
between the high-tech R&D sector and the education sector, given that the “Education” land use
is going to occupy up to 26% of the whole development area.
Implications
8.6.5
From the perspective of the general public and the environmentalists, the main challenge
presented by the development of LMC Loop would be its impact on the natural environment. Since
the LMC Loop is located at an ecologically sensitive region, there could be many restrictions faced.
As noted in the Study Report on LMC Loop development, “any proposed development options for
LMC Loop should take into account environmental issues including noise, air quality (including
odour from SZ River), water quality, waste management, and remediation of land contamination”
(Planing Department, 2015, p. 5). The need to minimise impacts on the surrounding ecological
environment deserves strong attention. Given the foreseeable production of biochemical waste, a
good waste collection system has to be in place. A closed circuit water system is to be adopted in
order to prevent the leakage of biochemical wastes while green landscaping is to be adopted for
maintaining the visual quality of the area.
8.6.6
From the perspective of research institutes and the private sector, although the research centre
can generate job opportunities and provide space for intercity cooperation, the cost involved in
starting up the development can be substantial. There is a need to devise a long-term strategic
fund that can encourage a more viable financial model. (See paragraph 8.6.19)
Kwu Tung North Conference and Accommodation Centre
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Figure 21 Kwu Tung North Development
Source: Development Bureau
8.6.7
Kwu Tung North is one of the new development areas under the North East New Territories New
development project where we believe it can be place as a supportive role of LMC Loop for
boosting the smart city development. We propose to build Kwu Tung North as a conference centre
which will be used to support the cross-boundary R&D centre at LMC Loop. It is expected that a
new division-of-labour between LMC Loop and Kwu Tung North will emerge. The provision of a
new conference facility in Kwu Tung North can provide an essential alternative to the existing
conference facilities in Hong Kong which are located far away from the border area. Also, given
that the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre has reached its maximum capacity, there
should be a new conference centre that can provide high-end service to local and Mainland ICT
players. Meanwhile, supporting accommodation services in Kwu Tung North provides options for
travellers to stay in close proximity to these new regional initiatives.
Proposals
8.6.8
According to the Outline Zoning Plan of Kwu Tung North (Planning Department, 2015) , a large
portion of the development area in the north will be zoned for commercial and R&D purposes. It
is thus apt to make use of this development area to establish said conference facility. In addition,
hotels and serviced apartments will be built in this development area, to provide accommodation
services for those attending conferences organised in the vicinity.
8.6.9
According to the existing OZP, a new town is to be established in Kwu Tung North. New serviced
apartments and hotels are to be built within this new town and will be served by a variety of public
necessities and commercial services. With the increasing land supply for high-tech R&D
development, the existing “Commercial, Research and Development” land use in Kwu Tung North
can be rezoned as “Commercial” land use, thereby providing lands for the construction of serviced
apartment and accommodation.
Implications
8.6.10
With the growing number of service users in this new area, provision of basic daily services and
community facilities could be a challenge. The Government has to ensure that adequate provisions
of services to satisfy the diversity of needs in this new town.
Heung Yuen Wai Technopole
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Figure 22 Location of the Liantang Boarder Control Point
Source: CEDD, 2015
8.6.11
The Liantang Boundary Control Point (LBCP) is expected to finish in 2018, forming another entry
point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The LBCP therefore provides a gateway to the Mainland
as it is strategically connected to the existing national highway network. We proposed the existing
land in Heung Yuen Wai can be used for developing a high-tech technopole which can provide
cross-boundary high-end specialised services. While there exist several industrial parks in Hong
Kong (such as the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Park and the Tai Po Industrial Park), spaces for hightech manufacturing remain lacking. A new technopole can fill this missing gap.
Proposals
8.6.12
To ensure that the technopole can articulate the scientific-technological role of Hong Kong and the
PRD in the global supply chain, a new planning committee staffed by government officials and
international experts shall be set up to develop a plan that ensures a balanced division-of-labour
between the two sides. Meanwhile, this technopole is to be managed by an independent authority.
The Board of this technopole is composed of government officials, representatives from ICT-related
entrepreneurs, and research institutes. This mixed composition of board members can generate a
more long-term vision for the whole technopole. The government can also provide land price
discount for attracting the ICT-related business to locate their office and factory in this new
technopole.
Implications
8.6.13
This project can provide land necessary for promoting the development of high-tech industries.
But the development HYW can encounter challenges to those in the development LMC Loop area.
On one hand, as HYW does not have any infrastructure, time and money are needed to construct
roads, electricity networks, water pipes and other infrastructures. This is combined with the
concern about the natural environment and the worry about over-accelerated integration between
Hong Kong and the Mainland, the issues which can complicate the implementation of the project.
The Siu Ho Wan Smart Logistic Complex
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Figure 23 Siu Ho Wan
Source: Planning Department
8.6.14
As early as in 2004, the Hong Kong Government proposed the establishment of a logistic centre at
Siu Ho Wan in the Concept Plan for Lantau (Lantau Development Task Force, 2004, p. 10). However,
till now, no concrete plans have been announced. With the introduction of the One Belt One Road
initiative, it is anticipated that the logistical need for moving high-tech goods along the coastal area
of the South China Sea will be expanded. Hong Kong can serve as a key role in meeting such
increasing need through expanding its existing logistics facilitates. In this context, we suggest a new
Siu Ho Wan Logistics Centre (SHWLC) is to be established plays a crucial role in fostering the
movement of high-tech goods and promoting intercity trade within the PRD and between the PRD
and overseas.
8.6.15
The SHWLC is to be established in Siu Ho Wan to facilitate the movement of goods between
Shenzhen, Hong Kong and abroad. It is strategically located near the Hong Kong International
Airport. The regional logistic centre will also be well connected to Tung Chung, an expanding new
town in Hong Kong, and other parts of Hong Kong by a sophisticated transport network. It shall
also be connected to the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link. High-tech goods from the Mainland can
make use of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor and the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link and
to be transhipped abroad by either the Hong Kong International Airport or the port facilities in
Hong Kong abroad.
Proposals
8.6.16
The SHWLC is to be divided into two zones, warehouse zone, cargo handling zone and
administration zone. A three-storey super warehouse will be constructed for storing goods. The
SHWLC will serve a range of traditional logistical activities such as freight consolidation, order
taking, order fulfilment, warehousing and cross docking. Value-added activities such as
management reporting, insurance, and quality control shall be carried out in the administration
centre. The SHWLC and the SuperTerminal 1 will be connected by a dedicated road. A training
facility is to be built in order to nurture talents in the field of logistics. Different Smart City concepts
and initiatives will be adopted in this SHWLC, including the use of latest cloud/big data applications
in the management system. The operation shall be overseen by a centralised system in order to
achieve seamless inbound and outbound of goods.
Implications
8.6.17
The main challenge faced by the SHWLC includes the environmental issue. The development of the
SHWLC shall involve a large-scale reclamation and construction. An environmental impact
assesment shall be conducted to ascertain the possible environmental impacts arising from
reclamation and construction. Green energy practice shall be incorporated in the SHWLC. A
comprehensive recycling system shall also be used to minimise the production of solid waste.
Meanwhile, a closed circuit water system shall be installed in order to minimise any possible impact
on the water nearby the region.
Institutional Linkage
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Research Funding from Mainland
8.6.18
Hong Kong lacks an institutional culture of supporting applied research (Our Hong Kong Foundation,
2015). For instance, only HKD 533 million dollars were allocated to applied research in 2014 (ibid,
2015). Hong Kong should take this opportunity to boost up its research capacity by lining up
researchers and entrepreneurs from the Mainland who have an emerging record of product
development technologies (accounting for over 80% of the overall expenditure on R&D spending)
(Qiu, 2014).
Proposals
8.6.19
The Hong Kong Government needs to set up a regional mechanism for research funding.
Researchers from Hong Kong and the Mainland could apply for make use of the mechanism to
apply for funding for applied research. Meanwhile, priorities should be given to three categories of
applications: (1) those applied research projects that are related to smart city development, (2)
those research projects that can promote collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland
researchers, and (3) those research projects that can promote the regional integration between
Hong Kong and the Mainland. The sources of the research funding shall come from the Hong Kong
Government and the private sector.
8.7
Roadmap
8.7.1
To pursue smart city development in an organised manner, incremental approach should be
incorporated. After considering the time required for construction and development, a working
schedule has been designed for the proposed measures. The roadmap below illustrates the
priorities set for the implementation of various proposed measures. Setting up a Smart City
Committee would be the first step among all suggested initiatives. In-depth feasibility studies are
required to further investigate the applicability of the suggested strategies and measures under
the context of Hong Kong.
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Figure 24 Roadmap
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9. Conclusion
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9.1
Conclusion
9.1.1
The underlying assumptions of this Report is that smart city can address a range of urban problems
that Hong Kong is facing including aging population, unsatisfactory living condition, and
unsustainable resources managements, skewed economic structure, some bureaucracy issues.
9.1.2
Whilst there are concerns about privacy invasion, oligopolistic market structure and cyber security
in smart city development, the benefits that smart city development brings can be tremendous,
including effective city management, enhancing city resilience and improvement of city
competitiveness. The review of the local policy records suggests that while there is an expanding
range of initiatives to promote an ICT-based economic order the smart city development is still at
its early stage. In particular, there are a wide range of challenges that need to be addressed in the
course of Hong Kong’s development into a smart city. International case studies on Singapore,
Seoul, Tokyo, Barcelona and cities within the PRD have been conducted to learn from their valuable
experiences and insights.
9.1.3
The Study suggests that smart city development needs to be strategic and visionary. For this reason,
the Study develops a vision - “Towards a Smart Hong Kong - Livable Intelligent Metropolis” and
comes up with a strategy, known as RISE to achieve our vision:
9.1.4
Raise living quality: a series of quality-of-life-enhancing measures such as promoting healthy aging,
enhancing quality of hospital service, promoting smart transport system, introducing sustainable
waste and energy management.
9.1.5
Improve economic foundation: a series of economic competitiveness-building to strengthen the
ICT related industry, measures such as cultivating the development of ICT industries, establishing
more data centres and co-working spaces, nurturing talents.
9.1.6
Support a proactive public administration: a series of governance-building measures to facilitate
the smart city development, such as building an advisory committee, reforming the existing legal
and regulatory measures
9.1.7
Encourage regional cooperation: a series of regional collaborative measures such as developing
cross-boundary spatial projects and promoting cross-boundary trading in innovation economy.
9.1.8
All these strategies may carry implications for different stakeholders including the public,
government and the private sector. Policymakers need to take into account of their views and
balance their interests. In addition, these strategies have to be carried out on a gradual and
continuous basis. Therefore a road map has been drawn to organize the pursuit of smart city
development. Through the RISE strategy, it is hoped that that Hong Kong will rise to the status of
smart city.
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Appendices
Appendix I Staffing
1.
Staff Organisation
Consider the nature of this Study, SMARK has assembled professionals from various fields to form
a multidisciplinary team to carry out the Study. Members of the team will cooperate and provide
inputs from their fields to form a comprehensive study. The following figure shows team’s
organisation structure.
2.
Staff Roles
Mr. LIM, Mark | Project Manager, Senior Planner
Mr. Lim has extensive strategic planning experience for more than 25 years. He is particularly
specialised in planning policy revision, proposal formulation and implementation in field of
transportation, land use and regional development. He is also a member of the Royal Town
Planning Institute, the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and a registered professional planner.
Mr. TEO, Jerome | Deputy Project Manager, Transportation Engineer
Mr. Teo is an experienced transportation engineer in areas of infrastructure design, strategic
planning and network development. He took has participated t in a number of infrastructure
development projects including Central-Wanchai Bypass and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. He
is a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong, Institution of
Highways & Transportation, and a registered professional engineer.
i|Page
Ms. KO, Charlotte | Secretary, Legal Consultant
Ms. Ko is a practicing lawyer in Hong Kong and joined in several development and planning
projects as legal consultant. She has extensive experience in policy formation and planning law
consultation with a range of institutional and legal frameworks for over 15 years. She is a council
member of The Law Society of Hong Kong.
Ms. KE, Kane | Treasurer, Surveyor
Ms. Ke has engaged several mega projects, including Cyberport. She is particularly
experienced in identifying new opportunities and interpreting data from various sources. She is a
member of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and a registered professional surveyor.
Dr. TANG, Simone | Regional Planning Scholar
Dr. Tang is an assistant professor from The University of Hong Kong. She is specialised in urban
planning and development in Hong Kong and China, and the applications of geographic
information systems in urban and regional planning. As an expert in regional planning, Dr. Tang
has a lot of experiences in cooperating with the Planning Department of Hong Kong and the China
Academy of Urban Planning and Design. Dr. Tang is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute,
the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and a registered professional planner.
Dr. WONG, Mandy | Environmentalist
Dr. Wong completed her PhD degree in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in
Imperial College, specialised in air and water quality control, as well as environmental impact
assessment for the development projects. She is a member of Hong Kong Institutes of
Environmentalists and a registered environmentalist.
Mr. AU, Ryan | ICT consultant
With the over 10-year experience as a senior software engineer in Google Company, Mr. Au
is experienced in the development of ICT and its application. He is the Chairperson of Hong Kong
Information and Technology Federation, member of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineer, the Hong
Kong Computer Society and a registered professional engineer.
Ms. LAU, Lily | Architect, Landscape Architect
Ms. Lau is graduated from the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts
Institutes of Technology. She is particularly well experienced in areas of sustainable design and
parametric design. She is a managing committee of BEAM society, a member of the Hong Kong
Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects, a registered architect, and
a registered landscape architect.
Appendix II International Case Studies’ Policies
1.
Seoul Metropolitan Area
Summary of Smart Seoul Initiatives:
ii | P a g e
Smart Infrastructure

U-Seoul net

Seoul Data Mart

3D Spatial Information

Smart Devices for all and Smart Users
Smart Governance

Smart Work Centre

Community Mapping

Public Application

Mobile Seoul

Content Management System (CMS)-based Homepage

Online Reservation System for Public Services
Smart People

Smart Metering Project

U-Health Care

U-Seoul Safety Service

Near Field Communication (NFC)-based Mobile Payment System

Virtual Store

School Newsletter Application

U-Shelter Bus Stop
iii | P a g e
2. Singapore
Summary of Smart Singapore Initiatives:
Smart Economy

Development of information economy

Promote the use of e-commerce

Enhance intellectual property rights

Establish Electronic Commerce Policy Committee (ECPC)

Establish a legal framework to create a reliable environment for business activities

Government act a partner in joint ventures
Smart Citizens

Compulsory ICT education

Government investment to promote computer based learning

IT Coach Programme
Smart Governance

The Singapore Government Online Portal

e-Gov2015
Smart Mobility

The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in road pricing
Smart Environment

Promote the development and adoption of green energy source

Enhance water and energy efficiency

Waste recycling

Improve air quality

Adopt environmentally sustainable materials and innovation design and technologies
in the development of housing and buildings
Smart Living

Reserve land for parks and development of green leisure options

Sky rise Greenery on public housing and carparks

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
iv | P a g e
3. Tokyo Metropolitan Area
Summary of the Kashiwa-no-ha (Tokyo) Smart City Initiatives
Environmental Initiatives (Air Environmental-Symbiotic City)

Area Energy Management System (AEMS)

Kashiwa-no-ha Smart Centre

Japan’s first smart grid that shares power source

Smart energy system during disaster

Home Energy Management System (HEMS)

CO2 Reduction Roadmap

Sustainable Housing Design

Chiba University Plant Factory
New Industry Initiatives (A City of New Industry Creation)

Kashiwa-no-ha Open Innovation Lab (KOIL)

TX Entrepreneur Partners (TEP)

University of Tokyo Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station Satellite

Future Design Centre (FDC)

Tokatsu Tachno Plaza

Asian Entrepreneurship Award (AEA)

Todai Kashiwa Venture Plaza
Health Initiatives (A City of Health and Longevity)

Town Health Station

Kashiwa-no-ha Smart Health Project

Happappa Exercise Time

Research and explore solutions to an aging society

Community Partnership Preventive Medicine Project

Centre for Preventive Medical Science at Chiba University

Chemiless Town Project
v|Page
Appendix III Individual Interview – Paperclip
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
2nd March 2016
Operation Manager
Private (Co-working space operator)
Proposed Questions
1. What is the current trend in co-working space in Hong Kong? And as a provider, is the market
very competitive?
2. Did you encountered any difficulties and obstacles when setting up the business?
3. Why this co-working place is designed in such way? What are the differences between normal
workplace and this space?
4. Can you explain the operation mode/ work style of your company?
5. How is the proportion of the company’s client age groups? Who are major clients? Would you
have different strategies to attract different-styled/aged clients?
6. How can you differentiate PaperClip from Science Park and Cyber Port?
7. What is your understanding of smart working?
8. To you, in what way can ICT enhance the flexibility and efficiency of working?
9. What are the difference between the needs of the start-ups and other companies?
10. Comment on Budget 2016? Do you think start-ups can benefit from the government policies?
11. Other than maybe offering funds, how can government help your company to perform
better/smarter and encourage smart start-ups?
12. What’s your future vision?
13. What do you think about Hong Kong’s development of smart city? What makes Hong Kong
attractive, unique and special?
Summary of Interview
Hong Kong Government
investHK

The investHK has helped by putting lots of effort in promoting Hong Kong to start-ups overseas
(Australia, India, UK, US, etc.) and give advices to expats to set up business in HK

Start-up Week

Platform to promote and ask for sponsorship

Different kind of events, workshops, preachings

Competition for global start-ups → get sponsorship from Gov.
Promotion of entrepreneurship

More and more start-up and expats are starting business in Hong Kong
vi | P a g e
Pitfalls

Difficult in applying funding (both start-ups and co-work space)

Too complicated applications

Unclear instructions

Difficult in applying visa for expats

Insufficient subsidies
Co-work space

2014: only about 10 co-work space → nowadays: 40 co-work space

Demand on co-work space is going up

Paperclip provide flexible rental service in terms of duration and scale

Business centre is more popular in the past

More than office space → provide platform for sharing, communicating, networking etc.

Value added services: workshops and events are organized in paperclip

invite big corporate and successful start-ups to share and be mentor

platform for the start-ups and entrepreneurs networking

New concept → difficulties in promotion

Inspiring environment and atmosphere
Entrepreneurship/Start-ups

70% of paperclip members are expats

Lots of them are finance and tech related, but for paperclip, t s very diversified

More and more business natures joining the ecosystem

The age ranges broadly, from 20-50, average 20-30


some fresh grad, some very experienced and jump out for their own business
Usually rent for at least 6 months for long term business, but some may give a try before long
term contract.

Business plan → test the market

cooperate with large firms → some aim bought by large firm

More local joining the ecosystem these days

University started to educate about entrepreneurship
vii | P a g e
Relationship with China

Entrepreneurs set up office in HK → targeting China market


Hong Kong is like centre of Asia-Pacific region → easy to go to other market


low tax, multinational, easier to set up business
geographically has a great advantage AT THE MOMENT
More and more expats set up office in Shenzhen

Shenzhen: hardware, manufacturing, It industry

once we lose the advantages in policy and regulation level (low tax, easier to set up) → can
hardly compete with Shenzhen
Work Culture

Flexibility

Professional

Parents mindset: traditional professional, big corporates, investment banks


discouraging the young generation entering the ecosystem
Smart: know what you are doing, being passionate

the traditional workers are blanked by the dull daily routine → lost passion

Entrepreneur is very lonely → co-work space can allow them communicate

Leave early → working not being constrained in office space

Work-life balance

Passion → efficient → good time management → shorten working time

Traditionally have to work till 5 or 6 even highly efficient

Education → parents
Technology

Technology is very important → everything is related to technology

High demand in coders, programmers either in big corporates like Google, and start-ups

Websites, apps are needed in starting business

ICT still cannot replace the physical working space → face-to-face communication
viii | P a g e
Appendix IV Individual Interview – Inmarsat
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
14th March 2016
Vice President Sales Asia Pacific
Private (MNC)
Proposed Question
1. What is your understanding of smart working?
2. What is the vision/ working atmosphere of the company?
3. What is the structure of the company?
4. Would the company outsource the job to external companies?
5. Why did Inmarsat choose Hong Kong as a branch of the company?
6. How the technology advancement in recent years help with your work and the operation of
the company?
7. Has the government given any support or assistance to you when establishing the company?
Summary of Interview
Hong Kong Employee
Positive

Self-discipline (work hard, willing to OT, high quality of work till the last day) → easier to
manage

Labour cost is quite low globally

The ability is overall top in Asia
Negative


Lack of interaction

Willingness in communication is low, colleagues and seniors

Mind their own business → show little concern on company’s issue
Not ambitious while compare with mainland counterparts


Mainlander acts more promising
Narrow global vision
Management

Promising salary is the key to retain the employee

For multinational firm, the pay rise is the same all over the world, so if the economy of Hong
Kong is good → less attractive; economy of HK is poor → more attractive
ix | P a g e


Biggest challenge in managing
Top university graduates may not in advantage → high expectation in salary + less eager to
learn

Young blood is preferred → adaptable to new idea, style, tech etc.

Managed by presence
Work environment

Traditional office + home office

Home office

Hard to assess the employees’ working → only possible for senior

Commuting time will be take into consideration (not applicable in Hong Kong).

Depends on nature of job

Sales team is not suitable for home office because it required teamwork and efficient
communication.

Home office brings less interaction with others, likes seniors and colleagues, which may
affect the internal promotion.


Easier to set up different base all over the world (again, not relevant to Hong Kong context)
Traditional Office

Interaction between people (VERY IMPORTANT)

Higher working efficiency while compare to home office (home office will be side-tracked
easily)
Regional


Regional centre → geographical advantage

As an international transport hub, low cost and travelling time

Poor environment, education, tax etc. → seldom long stay in China
Market is large in Hong Kong

Lots of giant managerial company in Hong Kong

One of the largest port in region (Singapore is actually the largest)

Hong Kong has an international environment while compare with other cities in the region

Hong Kong people lack of international vision
x|Page
View on Hong Kong Policies

Low/no tax, Duty free (SG’s tax is low as well)

Cost in labour force is low

Net income is much higher while compare with other region

Mature and supportive financial policies

Mature legal system

Almost no intervene from government

Support from government is not necessary for multinational firms
Application of ICT to Work Environment


Use WebEx for international meeting

High risk in holding teleconference

Meeting can be hold anytime anywhere as long as internet is available
Use Concur for financial management

Replace the traditional way of using excel in organizing the bill

Outsourced to India to organizing the bill → international division of labour

Use internet cache protocol (ICP) for Cloud service

Outsourcing to other company → lower cost while compare with develop by themselves

Detail planning is needed before setting up any new system

Make sure every department takes part in the plan from the very beginning → mutual
understanding

Provide relevant training programmes to employees

Work-life balance?

No fixed “office hour” → private life will be invaded

Even European work during weekend (contradicted to their culture)
xi | P a g e
Appendix V Individual Interview – The University of Hong Kong
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
15th March 2016
Associate Professor
Academic
Proposed Questions
1. What is your understanding on Smart City?
2. What is the current situation of Hong Kong on developing smart city? Do you think Hong Kong
is making good progress? What is Hong Kong lacking?
3. What is your opinion on Hong Kong government policies and strategies on supporting and
developing Smart City?
4. Do you think Hong Kong is ready to be a smart city, since smart city is more than technological
advancement, but also about other aspects, e.g., culture, education system?
5. What is the major obstacle for Hong Kong to become a smart city?
6. Do you think it is worth exploring the possibility for more regional cooperation for smart
developments? [Mainland China, and other countries]
7. How is Smart City development in China? Is there any good leading regions/cities?
Summary of Interview
Hong Kong’s Current Situation

Local situation: status quo/structure

Wi-Fi: does not make the city smart

No big policy changes

Cannot help facilitate or encourage the development of Smart City

Technologically
advanced
companies
and
firms
observed
→ lack of incentive to come to Hong Kong

Hong Kong has become complacent
Big Data

Access to data should be free-of-charge and open

Partial transparency of government data

Big data: now not for public but only competent people
→ Public: difficult to understand and thus cannot make well use of it

Privacy concerns
Smart City Planning

Spatial development improved by technology
xii | P a g e


Sensors in buildings during construction help to prevent structural issues

GPS signals help to relay live traffic information
Smart Cities: context specific

Should not directly transplant or take models

Important to identify local factors
Smart City Politics

Private companies are not happy with the governmental foundations

Reminder: Government’s responsibilities lie with the public, not to private companies

Smart City development approach (i.e. free-market, top-down, etc.)

Diversity and culture of the local space
xiii | P a g e
Appendix VI Individual Interview – Legislative Council
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
15th March 2016
Legislative Councillor (Architecture, Surveying and Planning)
Public Service
Proposed Question
1. How would you define Smart City?
2. What are you opinions on the role of Information and Technology Bureau in fostering the
developing smart city in Hong Kong?
3. Can you comment on the current situation of smart city development under the existing policy
and legislative framework in Hong Kong?
4. The government has been introducing “reindustrialisation” to enhance Hong Kong’s
competitiveness. Do you think develop high-end manufacturing is feasible in Hong Kong and
what is the major obstacle?
5. From your point of view, how funding provided by the government can promote the
development of Hong Kong? Is there any room of improvement in the funding scheme?
6. What are the challenges of smart city development in Hong Kong?
7. What are your opinions on the role of Planning Department and professional institutes such
as HKIP, HKIS in fostering the development of smart city?
8. In your opinion, how the development of smart city would affect the spatial demand and
planning in Hong Kong?
9. How can private sector cooperate with the government to promote smart city?
1. How does the Smart City development interlink with the reindustrialisation trend in Hong
Kong?
2. Can you comment on the current situation of Smart City development under the existing
policy and legislative framework in Hong Kong?
3. Does the government provide programme and funding to support the private enterprises? To
what extent do you think they are useful?
Summary of the Interview
Advantages of Hong Kong

Own technological advantage

All the data is available, though managed by different departments
Major Obstacles for Hong Kong to Become a Smart City

Lack of a platform to integrate different data from different departments

Data is very scattered and sometimes incompatible with each other
xiv | P a g e

Lack of data transparency

Limitations and restrictions for developments

Inflexible planning rules

Lack of incentive to take the initiatives
Role of Government

Should take the initiative and acts as major stakeholder

Create platform to allow public access to the data
Role of Private Sector

Possibility to explore the PPP model

Reminder: private sector always aims at profit maximisation

Looking forward to the ITB to create such platform for data sharing, and promote the use of
technology for working in both public and private companies
How Urban Planning Contributes to Smart City

Now: the way of thinking is too traditional, not thinking forward enough

Planning speed cannot catch the speed of technology advancement
Spatial Changes Brought by Smart City Development

Not necessarily lead to fewer office space

May not be ready to work in total isolation or work individually

Human interaction is valuable

More flexible and diverse pace utilisation
Legislative Issues and Smart City

Law: developed from history

No technology included → law violation, e.g., Uber
Changes of Working Culture by Smart City Development

Not necessary

Working culture of Asian countries: intense and long working hours

Not necessarily lead to better quality of living

More workload than before
xv | P a g e
Appendix VII Individual Interview – ESRI
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
15th March 2016
Representative
Private (MNC)
Proposed Questions
1. Could you comment on the current data integration platform? What would be an ideal data
sharing situation that can facilitate daily work?
2. Could you share with us smart practices to raise work efficiency and provide a better working
environment in your company?
3. How does GIS facilitate the working performance of the companies?
Summary of Interview
Work Environment

Data integration platform

Environmental friendly workspace (turning off lights during lunch hours and making sure all
computers are off during long holidays)

GIS

Provide relevant geospatial information for top management to make better decisions

Help execute business operations

Discover and solve problems creatively

Increase the efficiency of a company and reduce costs

Help discover new business opportunities and enable internal innovations

Have a better understand of customers by effectively analyzing relationships between
people, places and behaviour, and revealing underlying patterns and trends
Work Support

E-channels and applications for internal and external communications and collecting market
intelligence

Allocate significant resources to internal training
Communication

The millennial expresses opinions and feeling through online social media frequently such as
Facebook, yet privacy issues is involved

Online social media cannot replace traditional face-to-face interaction, social life is important
xvi | P a g e
Service Provider


ESRI provides foundation technology to clients

Provide services to KMB to build real-time information system

Can import the data/ build application if the clients make the request
Groom the development of the industry


Encourage the client corporate with other company/ build their the application themselves
R&D

Only 0.73% of the companies in Hong Kong is software company → hope the Government
can input more in R&D
Smart People

Digital divide

Not really relevant to Hong Kong

Cost of hardware is much lower these days

Cloud service

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Hong Kong provide training to the elderly,
deprived family, etc.

Education

US: “child can code” → even primary students can code

ESRI provides products to all primary and secondary school in HK → some schools have built
applications successfully

Mapping skills are crucial

Government has the responsibility to input more effort in education of technologies
Planning

Technology

As the complexity of urban area increase, technologies are required to solve the social
problems (mostly locational) eg. 3D urban form → GIS

Quantity + quality

Quantity: How shall we acquire extra land resource? Should we develop greenfield? How?
Where?

Quality
xvii | P a g e


Redistricting: moving people from high density district to lower density region

Allocation of public resources
Example: population density of Kwai Ching district and Tsuen Wan district
Government Policies



Policy Address: integration of different departments

2015: EKEO

2016: ITB
data.gov.hk

5000 data sets → not readily available

Should align the data from different departments

Spatial data is important (there is no map based data now)
Data centre policy


Data linkage → cloud service
Financial


The recurrent cost is the major obstacle

The Government focuses on cost saving

Maintenance cost is high
Lack of financial support from Financial Bureau and Legislative Council → the Government
plays too safe



Other cities make huge effort in recurrent
Application Programme Interface (API)

Require an institutional arrangement → one institute build the API

The 2016-2017 Budget mentioned setting up SDI → API should go before SDI

Advantage of API: does not need to download the data
Smart Living Fund
Smart City Consortium

NGO

Facilitate the development of Smart City in Hong Kong

Platform of different stakeholders to express their ideas on Smart City development to HK
government
xviii | P a g e

Connect the other international consortium of Smart City

Mainland


Signed agreement with Mainland in 3th April

Corporate with mainland in developing Smart City

Meet the standard of ISO in Smart Cities
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Hong Kong signed MOU with Austria on cultural co-operation

Vienna reached top ranks as a smart city
Public Participation

Requires an institutional framework and regulatory regime

GeoPlanner


Data based

Public can visualize the possible changes → reach the consensus

HK has no GeoPlanner approach
Citizen participation is important

Core part of a city

Provide information through mobile device

Build city together
xix | P a g e
Appendix VIII Individual Interview – All-in-one
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
16th March 2016
All-in-one cofounder
Member of Hong Kong Youth Entrepreneur Warriors
Driven committee of Concern Group of Hong Kong Youth Entrepreneur
Policy
Private (start-up
NGO
Proposed Questions
1. Could you further share some opinion on the initiatives related Fintech & start-ups?
2. As you are involved in start-up programmes in both Hong Kong and Mainland, would you
mind compare these programmes?
3. What prompts you to start your own business? Did you receive any support from the
government?
4. How would you comment on the existing working policy in Hong Kong? Is there any way to
make it smarter?
5. Do you think government’s initiatives on Smart City will benefit your work?
Summary of Interview#
Cyberport

Targeted to Interim media or online-to-offline (O2O) (Ideas and intangible products) (virtual
one like Gogovan)

Limitation of Cyberport: not many workspace,not convenient

Provide CCMF for start-ups (100k seed fund in 3 stages (10k, 45k, 45k))

Support

Offer training & introduction of the CCMF scheme

Collaborate with universities (the interviewee was from City University, the
university has initiated an Innovative Commons for the student and graduate startups )

Problems

A lot of youth start-ups do not aware the existence of the funding
programme

Both government (iStartup) and NGO (YEW) has promoted the funding
programme, but there a number of start-ups are not covered by the funding
programme (like language restriction, lack of experience in writing proposal,
etc.)
HKSTPC

Target to technology, especially on biotech, tangible and concrete product
xx | P a g e

Still will provide services to other platform like All-in-one (which is overlapped with
Cyberport)

The location of Science Park is quite convenience while compare with Cyberport

Organized Competition: City Challenge

Not many entry (told from the fact that they extended the deadline)
Start-ups
Factors in operating start-ups

Cost (CCMF is not enough for Fintech)

Connections (potential partners, clients, supports etc.)

Skills (different background)

programming is very important

Lack of opportunity for promotion

Environment is more encouraging these years (promotion from government and media)
Operation

Attract investors invest their start-ups (the investors tend to expand the share, which
increase the value of the shares hold by the entrepreneur)

Do not have a lot revenue → barely enough for sustaining the start-ups

Cloud server (most of the successful start-ups use AWS )

Recognition is very important (branding)
Problem faced

Do not enough support and opportunity

Lack of expert in programming (the start-ups nowadays tend to be O2O → require much
more knowledge, like programming, user experience (UX) design, user interface (UI) design,
promotion and branding)

Lots of language, updated very fast

The partner needs to know the programming

Demand of programmer is very high → cost of hiring programmer is very high as well

Hard to access primary data

Old generation mindset → have to adjust parent’s mindset and communication

But the parents are more supportive, being employed may not work (even the salary
of profession is low)
Problem = opportunity
Workload

Fully engaged as long as you are devoted into business

Passion is the most important motivation

Sometime may even sleep at the office
Funding from Corporate

Angel fund

Investment bank or insurance companies (such as AIA): as accelerator to aid themed startups (like Fintech)
xxi | P a g e

Provide money and network → more resources for the start-ups
Workplace

Current location is convenience (provided by Chamber)

If physical store is involved, the cost could be very high, and finding office space (like cowork
space) in HK is challenging

Do not consider co-working space

Privacy is very important, intellectual property is in a very high priority for startups
→ gimmick

The networking opportunity may not be that attractive for local start-ups, since they
have already built up their own networks

More convenience if they have own office

Work life integration

Entertainment is available in the working space
Mainland

Way more supportive towards start-ups than Hong Kong

Very used to use mobile app, like online payment, the big company will invest a lot, or by
different platforms

More programmers
Government
Limitations

The regulations cannot follow the advancement of technology → grey area in regulation

Like fintech

Regulation has to protect the right of customer

The system of HK is not mature enough

Too careful

Even the government does not understand their initiatives


Lack of actions

Branding of the Government is in the high priority
The mindset of government is very outdated

Copy the other cities, or even movies

Uncertainty in whether the funding is received by the start-ups (monitor by big corporate)

Administrative issue
Government’s concern

Based on the right of customers → place restriction on technology

Has a role in balancing the benefits of traditional industries and the new ones
xxii | P a g e

the platform development usually brings destructive impacts, which is contradicted
to the interest of traditional


Share economy: affect the tradition industries while bring convenience to citizens

Should HK take a step back while facing these new ideas?
Recognize the economic structure of Hong Kong is simple (only few industries: tourism,
finance, retail)

Make sure the startups use the funding properly → The big corporate will monitor the use of
funding
xxiii | P a g e
Appendix IX Individual Interview – Energizing Kowloon East Office
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
18th March 2016
Representative
Government
Proposed Questions
1. What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) Hong Kong is facing in initiating smart transportation
policies?
2. Are there any potentials in the of Smart water grid in Hong Kong? What are the challenges in
its implementation?
3. The population of Kowloon East will surge with the completion of the various projects in the
Kai Tak Development Area, and the problem of ageing population is increasingly serious.
According to the statistics of the Hospital Authority (HA), the population of the Kowloon East
Hospital Cluster (KE Cluster) was 990 100 in 2011, and is estimated to rise to 1 097 000 in 2019,
of which the proportion of people aged 65 or above will rise from the existing 13% to 15%.
Summary of Interview
Singapore: Smart Nation

The political environment of Singapore different from than in Hong Kong

More focused and efficient policy implementation

Singapore government can do what they want but Hong Kong cannot
Smart City Initiatives

The Hong Kong Government aware the development of Smart City in the other city

Smart City should put in city scale, so when some trials have taken in Kwun Tong area with a
good result, other departments implemented into a city scale and promote the idea to other
places in Hong Kong

Studies conducted by other departments will also look into Smart City

ITB

Both ITB and DB has their own aspect of Smart City, but have interface

One of the major tasks of ITB is to standardize the data

Cooperation between ITB and EKEO (ITB: technical terms; EKEO: planning and design
aspects)

Government tries to create a platform to make the data from different departments be
compatible with each other
xxiv | P a g e
EKEO Smart City Initiatives

Every business district has their own characteristics. Like Central, as a traditional Central
Business District (CBD), is definitely can be replaced by Kowloon East.

Why Kowloon East as smart city pilot study area? Here is development opportunity in Kowloon
East with a mixture of new and old communities, and of mixed land uses (may facilitate to build
a diverse and vibrant community)

draw up their own framework based on the Smart Wheel (the 6 characteristics)


focus on the environment and mobility
Collaboration with the other stakeholders like universities and institutions, NGO, private
companies by attracting and convincing to start the trials in Kowloon East

EKEO acts as a bridge between the research institutes and other government departments.
Since EKEO always communicates with external technology innovations and other stakeholders.
When they observed there are some practical ideas that can be useful to other departments,
they can act as mediators to introduce the relevant technologies and skills to the other
department as to raise their awareness and seek the possibilities of cooperations, like urban
farming with AFCD

not always have positive response or results, but at least must give a try

Start public engagement on Smart City framework

Due to the limitation of resources, EKEO has to prioritise the proposals. More importantly, as
EKEO cannot do all the practices. They try to raise the interest and awareness of other relevant
stakeholders such as government departments and private sectors by raising the issues and
initiating the studies and testing the ideas, e.g., the smart traffic lights

Communicate and share experience with other cities

visit other cities or offices from other cities visit EKEO

not very ready to cooperate with other cities

very useful in getting experience

take time (4-5 years)

Short, mid and long term strategies to achieve Smart City Initiatives


Focus on those tangible strategies

To keep the public attended and have an eye on the efforts of EKEO
Has no intention to review and evaluate regularly

The ultimate goal is not how advanced the ideas and technologies are, but the quality of
living

Application of other part of HK
xxv | P a g e

Try out in Kowloon East then bring to citywide
Government Structure

Different department has their own initiatives → like Hospital Authority, Highway Department,
Environmental Bureau etc. (When we want to investigate the smart city development in Hong
Kong, we have to firstly understand the Hong Kong context and government structure: Every
part/department may have their own smart initiatives, like hospitals have their own smart
initiatives and technology maybe on healthcare and medical services.)


The scale of EKEO office (with 23 people) enhanced the flexibility of their work → no intention
to expand the scale

Fragmented government structure

Take many steps to push the ideas forward (pass through many procedure to other
department follow up)

Multidisciplinary offices would be set up to meet different task for some project definition
study
Tourism Nodes

translate the winning scheme to applicable requirement

the node will be private development

have to apply → controlled by planning side

not cash tender

have to have technical proposal: entertainment, health
Green building initiative

green building requirements: beam plus

high greening ratio, extra 10%

overall 30%

accessible 20%

20% of rooftop have to have 25%
Water metres

1st place to require install smart water meter
xxvi | P a g e
Mobility


Electric vehicle

Provide charging facilities in Kwun Tong

GeoInfo of availability of charging facilities
Corporate with the surrounding car park owners to set up real-time parking availability
information platform

no incentive is given to the private car park owner

persuasion → follow up

advice from ESRI

transport department → integrated to whole Hong Kong
Walkability

Since there will be more office in Kwun Tong area, the traffic demand will be increased

Still have some manufacturing industry

Kowloon Bay is more office like

Kwun Tong: the road is very narrow with vibrant activity

aside from traditional traffic management, want to due with the on street loading and
unloading → Change the habit
CBD

The status as CBD of Central cannot be replaced → radiant effect to surrounding area

Kwun Tong has industrial background

Tai Koo City is a private project with Swire as single developer


Scale is very small, which is more easy
Kowloon East

Industrial, governemnt, private etc.

use the external environment to affect internal environment

changing gradually

6 years ago, Revitalize industrial building → faster

40-50 projects is Revitalize industrial building

keep industrial building mix new development and industrial building ← the characteristics
of Kowloon East

design in public space → take care of people here

creative industry
xxvii | P a g e


identify space for different use (like under the bridge)
some convention will converted into start-up (Tsinghua university cooperate with HK
institute to convert to the start-up)
Cooperation with private sector

EKEO like to try something new

social network


Collaborate with stakeholders that share same vision
Financial support to private sector

science park --> private companies

Fairness is important. If the private company gets the support largely by the government,
the intellectual property would be claimed by the government. Instead, if the support is
largely offered by other means including the private sector or other industries, they can
claim the intellectual property right.

limited resource


different method to communicate
KMB and MTR

realtime bus information

persuade them to start with Kwun Tong
Work life balance: smart working is more than efficiency and flexibility

strike the balance

recreation: multi-purpose sport centre

kai tak recreation is about ⅓ of the area
Smart City Consortium

idea from EKEO

start with smart city expert group → formal organization

NGO needs sponsorship from industry

concept trial

longer list and categorise it (gov/industry/uni)

EKEO provide opportunity for them to visualise
xxviii | P a g e
Appendix X Individual Interview – Planning Department
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
22nd March 2016
Senior Planner
Government
Proposed Question
1. How does Planning Department cooperate with other government department to develop
Hong Kong as a smart city? (Big Data, Common Database i.e. SDI (spatial data
infrastructure) to combine the information in the existing Statutory Planning Portal, GeoInfo
Map)
2. What are the major obstacles and opportunities in developing Hong Kong into a Smart City?
How can government solve these challenges?
3. What is the next step after developing East Kowloon with smart city strategies? How can other
places of Hong Kong learn from the experiences of East Kowloon?
4. How to incorporate the idea of smart city in the ongoing Hong Kong 2030+?
5. How would you comment Hong Kong’s position in the region as a “smart city” at this moment?
6. What spatial implications, in terms of land use zoning for example, would be brought by
smarter working habit and change of work environment?
7. Can you comment on the cooperation between Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta to develop
smart city in the perspective?
Summary of Interview
Role of Planning Department in achieving Smart City

There are a lot of data needed for every planning application

Planning Department makes decision for these applications, but is not responsible for building
constructions

Make sure the data flow from one department to another is important

A lot of decisions are made by private sector which the government has difficulty accessing the
data
Cross-departmental sharing of data

Difference in data production between departments

Land data is produced in a project-based or task-based manner

Some data is classified cannot be made public

Some departments (e.g. Lands Department) rely on selling the data for money

The skill level between different departments is different, lead to different formats and
definitions
xxix | P a g e

When cooperating with other departments, it is important to convince them that sharing data
will be beneficial

The input of data should commence at the early stage of any development projects
On cross-department cooperation model such as EKEO

EKEO is a unique system in Hong Kong at this moment, if there is an expansion of such model,
they should be tailored to different context
On government working with the private sector

Need to understand the potential pitfalls of working with the private sector

Need to address the problem of public interest

E.g. if whole Hong Kong is covered with Wi-Fi, it means a direct competition with the internet
service providers

But agree that the government should take a more proactive approach to set up more funding

These funding should not only support the setting up of the companies, but also help them
grow to a certain size
Hong Kong’s advantages to become smarter

High penetration rate of smartphone

A lot of new mobile applications

The citizens generally accept new IT

Good infrastructure of IT

People in Hong Kong are creative, but they need how to make use of it to launch business and
do marketing

There is training in universities, but it does not lead to more production and output
In the coming spatial arrangement of working environment

Multi-national corporations will still continue to stay in traditional CBD, grade A offices

Staying in CBD will facilitate the meeting of clients and customers (locational advantage)

But for creative industries, they are flexible in location, working hours

Creative industries are capable of working in non-conventional offices

Planning strategies can help the redistribution of the demand

Changes in the land use regulation can help too
Regional cooperation

Mainland to a certain extent follow the development pattern of Hong Kong
xxx | P a g e

But law and regulation restricted full data sharing in Hong Kong

In China, the departments can share a lot of personal data, thus making analysis easier than
Hong Kong

If Hong Kong is to share data, one must ask whether it is ethical and whether there is
community consensus on it
xxxi | P a g e
Appendix XI Individual Interview – Legislative Council
Date:
Position/Institution:
Field:
24th March 2016
Legislative Councillor, Civic Party
Public Service
Proposed Questions
1. How would you define Smart City?
2. Do you think the laws and regulations in Hong Kong need to be changed/updated to cater the
development of smart city in Hong Kong? If yes, how?
3. What is your opinion on HK government clamping down UBER?
4. How can the Information and Technology Bureau help development of smart city?
5. What do you think are the major obstacles hindering Hong Kong from becoming a Smart City?
6. Can you comment on the current situation of smart city development under the existing policy
and legislative framework in Hong Kong?
7. Did you see any changes in the working environment of the law firm?
Summary of Interview
Definition of Smart City

Digitalization

Without manpower

Go green
Current Situation

Smart phone age/ Facebook age

Highly integrated with smart phone and social media -> dictated the development of the future,
how policy can fit in?

Hong Kong should embrace new trends

Disrupting the monopoly

Introduced Airbnb and Uber into Hong Kong

People have more choices

Uber introduced by InvestHK, however the Government has banned its service since it is
contradicting to existing regulations

Digital divide

People should have equal opportunities

Is it a rights or privilege to access to Internet?

How to allocate the resources to help underprivileged and avoid social inequality?
xxxii | P a g e

The role of government should be allocate resources and safeguard people’s rights
Smart City Initiatives in Hong Kong

Mismatch between the original initiative and final result -> eg. Cyberport, Science Park

The difference between Cyberport and Hsinchu Science Park

No policy for green transport eg. Bicycle

No clear vision and the vision not yet reached 2016 level

Policies should be more down-to-earth
Work Environment

Growing trend of paperless in law firms → digitalized documents

Face-to-face interaction is still preferred
Law and Regulations

Only implementation of policy

Should always protect human basic rights

Can only determine whether it is right or wrong but cannot provide guidelines
xxxiii | P a g e
Appendix XII Summary of Focus Group Discussion (13th March 2016)
Work Location

Franessa

Works at traditional office space

Meetings would take place different office branch (e.g. Franessa works in the headquarters
in Central, however, she is frequently required to attends internal meetings in their office
in Causeway Bay)

Meeting with client in any locations (To ensure clients’ convenience, meetings can take
place in any locations, for instance starbucks/ cafes are popular choices)


Home-office is allowed upon request
Stella

Works at traditional office space

Home-office is not allowed

Meeting with client in any locations
Home Office/ Co-working Space or Traditional Office?

Franessa and Stella

Both prefer traditional office

Working in co-working would easily distracted from work due to the random chit chat with
neighbours

Do not prefer home office because it blurred the boundary between work and daily lives,
which portray a sense that one should work wherever whenever, which mean works would
never end

Can consult senior colleagues and bosses whenever they encounter difficulties in traditional
office. Can easily get in touch with the relative colleagues for signing of administrative
paperwork
Technology Helps Working?

Franessa

Intranet System that facilitate instant information exchange between branches located in
different countries

Stella

Intranet System that facilitate instant information exchange between branches located in
different countries

A data system that records all portfolios of the clients
xxxiv | P a g e
Sponsor on Learning Software


Franessa

Regular training sessions and lectures to update with the latest technical knowledge

Required to take online assessment upon completion of the training course
Stella

Training workshops to facilitate the learning of the latest technical inventions
Digitalised to Change Working Style?

Franessa

Improve communications among branches in different countries

Instant information exchanges make overtime working becomes a norm because need to
answer conference call in different time zone

Stella

Digitization makes work no long bounded by time and location

Required to answer E-mail after office hour
Work/ Life Balance?

Franessa

Have a work-life balance team to organize weekly activities for employees

Never join the activities because of the heavy workload

Allow flexible working hours upon request, so working father/mother could leave office
early to take care of her children

Stella

Despite the company have a Work/Life balance team, most colleagues have no intention to
join the activities

Activities are usually held on weekends, want to preserve the weekend for a good rest

Heavy workload and work overtime is a norm, no energy left for the activities
xxxv | P a g e
Appendix XIII Summary of Focus Group Discussion (16th March 2016)
Working Location


Daniel

Depends on the nature of work

May have site visit

Need to use the computers in office for confidential data
Florence


Michelle


Similar to Daniel, go out for work when needed such as interview
Digital marketing, go out to study some products
Sara

Home office, self-employed

Flexible working location and working schedule
Home Office or Traditional Office?



Daniel

Prefer traditional office

Too much distraction
Michelle

Prefer traditional office

Home office is permitted by the company

Advantage of home office: more flexible

Applying for home office scheme so she can work more flexibly
Nicole

Prefer traditional office

Acceptable distance: travelling time within one hour

HR needs to meet people and sign some confidential documents and contracts that may
contain personal and sensitive information, so need to go to office

Elvis

Own job: home office not very possible

Communicate with teachers and ask for advice directly
xxxvi | P a g e

IT devices have limited effect on promoting work efficiency

Safety issue: look after the students in person but not relying on CCTV
Co-working Space




Nicole

Do not prefer co-working space

Too flexible → no stable place to store things
Sara

Need absolute silence for focus

Easy to be distracted by others

Even in office: only find colleagues when necessary
Florence

Do not prefer co-working space

Information security

Many distractions
Daniel

Do not prefer co-working space

May prefered by small business operators for the communication opportunities
External Spatial Structure



Michelle

Office: Cue table, Xbox 360, gym and other facilities

Nature of business: relies on creativity and thus more relaxing working environment
Florence

Office in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate

Office: rooftop basketball court

Close to landfill

Doubt: really can filter the germs? Colleagues seem easily getting sick

Nearly ten thousand people to work there, worth to concern

Industrial estate not much facilities, no nobody on street
Nicole

Office in Kowloon Bay
xxxvii | P a g e

Zero Carbon Building has large green area

Not much other facilities
Technology Helps Working?



Elvis

IT devices have limited effect on promoting work efficiency

Safety issue: look after the students in person but not relying on CCTV
Florence

Mobile phone is important for recording and taking photos

Can communicate and send files to the office even though she is outside
Michelle



Documents on Google drive: share to others
Sara

Online platforms: communicate with clients and promote products

Search for goods and make wholesale process easier

No spatial boundary: clients from other countries, such as Singapore
Nicole

Data: keeps for 7 years in hard copy

Once suggested to keep as soft copy to lower costs

Rejected the suggestion to play safe

Legal issues
Sponsor on Learning Software

Florence



Talks on filming documentary
Elvis

Not much sponsor and support

Assume the workers can do anything so company needs not to hire more people

Need to be responsible for extra duties which requires special skills, e.g., making booklets

Lack of IT support
Sara
xxxviii | P a g e

applied government funding (Continuing Education Fund, CEF) to learn German

lower cost: seek alternatives when encountering technical problems
Digitalised to Change Working Style?

Daniel




Nicole

Directly contacted by boss

Advantage of using communication application: more communication with colleagues,

Can understand more and achieve better working outcome

Prompt response and thus improve working efficiency
Elvis

Easier to communicate and better cooperation among colleagues

Teachers use E-book to teach students, no need to bring back school

Government scheme to provide online free courses that is related to teaching for teachers

Supported by HKedCity

Website has new version of ETV and teacher would use it to teach the students

Encourage to build own system and database for own school,
Michelle


ICT has not much impact on working style
Funding scheme for school to apply from Education Bureau for support
Elvis

Funding scheme is not free lunch

Need to do report or test or assessment
Working Culture



Elvis

On-time off

Not very stressful
Florence

Huge workload → on-time off is quite impossible

Colleagues often work overtime, sometimes till midnight
Daniel
xxxix | P a g e


Usually get off on-time

Periodical OT when project deadlines are approaching
Nicole

Seldom get off from working on time

Normally late for an half or even longer
Pressure from working



Daniel

Project assistant: high pressure

Several projects at the same time

Have to work on some tasks that he does not know how to complete
Michelle

Work on tour management

Pressure from communication with other countries dues to language barrier and time lag
Sara

Marketing colleagues: pressure from clients

Need to bear quota and bonus

Internship colleagues: need to handle a lot of things

Express anger by small actions, like hanging up calls loudly and going to have coffee
Government promotion on work-life balance and stress reduction


Nicole

May work if compulsory or statutory policy

Not that work as promotion
Florence

Should not have difference in labour regulations, such as there are two types of holidays
(general holidays and statutory holidays)


Propose: standardised working hour
Sara

Office: standard working hours

Home office: 24 hours working

Advanced technology: brother has receive tasks from company in holiday, not much
difference from home office
xl | P a g e
Appendix XIV Work Programme
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