Editorial | Smart city should also show its human face
- Hong Kong may be among the top 20 cities for the adoption of technology, but it has a long way to go to improve access for the elderly and poor
In an unexpected side effect of the pandemic, Hong Kong has landed in the top 20 of a global list of smart cities primarily because of its adoption of technology in healthcare. Government and community sectors that have steadily adopted new technology deserve praise for the changes reflected in the ranking, but it is also a reminder of the work ahead to improve hi-tech access for elderly and low-income people.
Hong Kong jumped to 19 on the Smart City Index 2023, up from 33 on the most recent list compiled in 2021 by the Institute for Management Development. The Swiss business school surveyed 20,000 people in 141 cities on the impact of technology on a range of areas from housing and healthcare to employment.
Leading the index were Zurich, Oslo and Canberra, while Asia’s smartest cities also included Singapore at seven and Beijing in 12th place. Hong Kong stood out among six cities that have consistently improved performance since 2019, with high marks for accessibility to medical services and arranging online medical appointments.
In 2017, the government introduced its Smart City Blueprint for improving transport, health, education and the environment. Authorities refined the goals in 2020 with an updated 2.0 plan meant to improve city management and livelihoods. But the city’s enviable information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem is decades in the making. The pace of digitisation only accelerated during three years of social-distancing measures to fight Covid-19. But while many residents quickly adopted the use of smartphones for everything from telemedicine to takeaway food orders, the pandemic widened the gap between seasoned tech users and those who are not.
Support from programmes to get devices and internet access into the hands of poor students has helped. The government’s 2021 Quality Education Fund is estimated to have benefited 310,000 pupils over the past three years. Such efforts must continue and expand as technology adoption accelerates. Public engagement in the design and implementation of smart city policies is also critical, especially where there is mistrust or concern about data privacy.