A look across the ocean: Smart cities in the USA, Africa and Asia

Singapore at night. Photo: Pixabay

Smart City Singapore

The second most densely populated city in the world is one of the IMD "super champions". Since 2014, the city state has been systematically transforming its public services, infrastructure, economy and services. With the aim of becoming the first "smart nation" by 2025. Essential for this: sensor networks and analysis technologies that are used to collect and analyse data, for example on traffic volumes, the environment, security, energy and housing. Citizens can obtain information and contribute at any time via an open data portal. Communication with the administration is also set to become easier: Everything from birth certificates to wedding dates, university registrations and pension certificates can be done digitally via a citizen app.

Smart City New York

The Big Apple is providing creative examples on the road to digital transformation. Hundreds of thousands of buildings are equipped with radio water meters, which provide a better overview of water consumption, and the air quality of the metropolis of millions is also continuously monitored. The Link NYC kiosk system provides free public Wi-Fi for everyone and even the rubbish bins in New York are smart: Bigbelly is an intelligent rubbish bin that compresses waste straight away thanks to an integrated waste compactor - and it uses solar energy to do so.

Akon City

Akon City, named after the Senegalese-American musician Akon, is an ambitious project being developed in Senegal. This smart city is intended to be a showcase project for sustainable development and technological innovation on the African continent. The plan is for a city that relies entirely on renewable energies, with a focus on solar energy. Akon City is expected to provide housing for up to 300,000 people and will serve as a hub for technology companies. The aim is to create a liveable environment that improves the quality of life of residents and at the same time serves as a model for future urban developments in Africa. Akon itself describes the project as a contribution to economic development and the promotion of education and jobs in the region. The foundation stone was laid in 2020, and since then Akon City around the Senegalese village of Mbódiene has hardly developed at all. The costs for the major smart city project are estimated at around 6 billion US dollars.