Hong Kong’s smart city vision must be backed by support for start-ups and imported talent, tech players say
Technology industry welcomes Leung Chun-ying’s pledge to build a more connected and efficient city, but says hurdles remain
Tech industry players have warned the government that attempts to turn Hong Kong into a so-called smart city will suffer without greater efforts to attract overseas talent.
While many welcomed Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s renewed pledge in his swansong policy address to build a more connected and efficient city, they also called on authorities to make life easier for start-ups.
Leung said on Wednesday that a key pilot scheme for his vision to create a “smart city” was gaining traction. Kowloon East – once a major industrial hub but which is now undergoing a transformation into Hong Kong’s next central business district – has been earmarked as a test bed for smart city projects. The initiative was announced in Leung’s 2015 policy address.
“Our consultant will complete its study by the middle of this year. So far, preliminary studies have been carried out in some important areas such as the environment, health care and transport,” Leung said on Wednesday.
He said the project would leverage “people-centric information and communications technology solutions” to improve the use of resources while enhancing the management of road traffic and pedestrians.