Opinion | Covid-19 and the city: a chance to reshape urban living and public transport

Name: Singapore researchers invent ‘smart’ clothing that saves battery life and boosts connectivity
Uploaded: 2020-09-03T12:45:11.000Z
Duration: 1 min 25 s
Description: Singapore researchers invent ‘smart’ clothing that saves battery life and boosts connectivity

Amid fears of infection, commuters may prefer the safety of bikes and cars to crowded buses and trains. Cities in Asia should respond with smart planning and improved infrastructure

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Moped riders and cyclists wearing masks wait at a traffic light in Shanghai on April 2. Photo: Bloomberg

Jamye HarrisonandYuan Shi

Published: 8:45pm, 3 Sep 2020Updated: 10:52am, 4 Sep 2020

For millions of people living in cities around the world, the morning commute that used to come with all the normal difficulties – overcrowded transport, late running buses or trains and poor air quality – now brings a whole new challenge: the fear of further spread of the coronavirus.

But what does this mean for the future of mobility in a post-pandemic world and how can cities adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of its citizens?

Pre-Covid-19, cities in Asia were united in their desire to deal with rapid urbanisation and pressure on their current infrastructure. In the Greater Bay Area, we saw increasing investment in transport networks to ease movement around the region, and in Southeast Asia, investment in high-speed railway projects has been an ongoing focus.

What is most impressive, though, is the thoughtfulness that has gone into the planning of smart cities. City leaders, local governments and private sector investors have approached this much more deliberately than in some other regions around the world where smart cities are evolving more organically.

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Singapore researchers invent ‘smart’ clothing that saves battery life and boosts connectivity

Singapore is a prime example. Now in the second wave of its Smart Nation agenda, the country focuses much more on innovating through iteration and multiple smaller projects guided by an overall strategy. This is a very fortunate position to be in as it builds a continuous innovation capability – enabling Singapore to shape and adapt the city’s direction on an ongoing basis.

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Amid fears of infection, commuters may prefer the safety of bikes and cars to crowded buses and trains. Cities in Asia should respond with smart planning and improved infrastructure

Amid fears of infection, commuters may prefer the safety of bikes and cars to crowded buses and trains. Cities in Asia should respond with smart planning and improved infrastructure