• Date: November 20th, Wednesday, 2019 16:00-17:30
• Location: Room 240, SNUAC (Bldg. 101)

Center for Asian Urban Societies’ 15th colloquium is on ‘Developmental Smart City: The Case of Singapore’ with Professor Joo, Yu Min (KDI School of Public Policy and Management). This will be in continuance with our 13th colloquium, ‘Smart City’ Reading Seminar. We ask for all those who are interested to come and join us.

On November 20th, SNUAC Center for Asian Urban Societies invited Professor Joo, Yu Min (KDI School of Public Policy and Management) to hold a colloquium on ‘Developmental Smart City: The Case of Singapore’. In this colloquium, the speaker introduced the definition of a smart city, the historical context of Singapore, and the “Smart Nation” project that the Singaporean government is strongly pursuing.

Unlike the West where discussions and criticisms on constructing smart cities are active by large corporates like IBM or citizen-oriented groups, many East Asian countries are pursuing smart city projects as strategies of economic development. The presentation covered the case of Singapore and presented the concept of ‘developmental smart city’. Korea is also utilizing a smart city as a strategy of economic growth by linking it to the fourth industrial revolution. Yet, unlike Korea where the project proceeds with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Singapore takes the strategy of actively inviting multinational corporate under the lead of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Discussion followed, with opinions calling for further research revealing various subjects and local contexts in the smart city construction. Many agreed that the developmental strategies of Singapore and Korea are both being unfolded on the line of major developmental strategies of each country’s past.