Case studies relevant for smart solution: Skills development centers

Big Smart Istanbul is the project of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and ISBAK to conceptualize and implement their smart city vision. Started in May 2016, the project will start the implementation phase of the roadmap in 2018 within a five-year timeline, but some projects were already launched.

The city of Guadalajara, the capital city of the State of Jalisco, is home to approximately 40% of the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry of Mexico, as a result of pioneering and long term industrial, scientific and technological policies that began in the 1970s.

Cyberjaya is Malaysia’s flagship cybercity promoted in commercial leaflets as “one of the world’s leading smart cities” and as a “test bed” for the integration of ICTs into everyday life. It was created from scratch to be a smart city model for Malaysia. The project to build the city (the Multimedia Super Corridor Project) was launched by the Malaysian Government in 1996 with the goal of advancing the country’s innovation and knowledge-based economy. The cumulative investment in infrastructures and buildings in the city, until the year 2014, was $4.7 (RM17) billions.

Launched in 2016, when the Global Blockchain Council was created, the Dubai Blockchain Strategy is an initiative that aims to explore and evaluate the latest technology innovations that demonstrate an opportunity to deliver more seamless, safe, efficient, and impactful city experiences. Blockchain technology is perceived as a new, powerful tool that has potential to shape the future of the Internet with simple, safe, and secure transactions.

Ghent is a Belgian metropolitan city with a surface of 15,643 ha, 60,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area and 258,119 inhabitants in Ghent itself. People from 161 different nationalities are spread over 25 neighbourhoods sharing their diverse cultural experiences and backgrounds. It is the largest student city in the region of Flanders, with about 75,000 students. Current unemployment rate is at about 9.2%.

The project for Masdar City was launched in 2008 with the aim of developing the most sustainable eco-city in the world. Situated in a strategic location, it is only 20 minutes away from downtown Abu Dhabi, and 40 minutes from Dubai.

“Development is not an end in itself (…). Sustainable development shouldn’t stop at the concept of wealth and building the economy, it should go beyond that to accomplish human progress and to find the citizen who is capable to contribute greatly and consciously in constructing the country” (His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said).

Chicago has a civic organisation devoted to improving lives in the city through technology, called Smart Chicago Collaborative. Founded in 2011 by the City of Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust, and MacArthur Foundation, Smart Chicago focuses on 3 guiding principles: access to technology and to the internet, digital skills to use the technology, and meaningful products from available data.

Wanxiang is working on the construction of a mega-city called Innova City. It will be built from scratch on the river bank in Hangzhou, capital of the Zhejiang Province, which is adjacent to Shangai. Hangzhou is the upcoming Tier 1 city in China, and it is also the city of choice for a lot of companies to locate their headquarters. Hangzhou, like Shangai, is divided in two parts by the river Qiantang. The old town is located north of the river, and the new town is located south of the river.