Hong Kong has released its smart city blueprint following months of consultations and recommendations as part of its efforts to become a world-class smart city. It has been announced that a dedicated Smart City Office will be established in the Innovation and Technology Bureau which will oversee, manage and coordinate the progress and effectiveness of smart city projects initiated by the department in Hong Kong.
The detailed smart city roadmap outlines its development plans for the next five years. Its primary objectives are to improve the lives of the residents and citizens of Hong Kong, whilst also attempting to enhance the efficiency of city management and make Hong Kong ultimately more attractive through the use of innovation and technology.
The Government of Hong Kong has shown its support for the innovative project and commissioned the consultancy report. Hong Kong is known worldwide for being progressive in relation to technology and innovation – and many industry analysts from the smart city sector believe the blueprint it has prepared will jettison Hong Kong to become one of the world’s leading smart cities.
The Government had commissioned a comprehensive consultancy study which made short, medium and long-term recommendations in six major areas, namely: “Smart Mobility”, “Smart Living”, “Smart Environment”, “Smart People”, “Smart Government” and “Smart Economy”. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer invited members of the public to give views on the recommendations made in the report of the consultancy study on the smart city blueprint, during the period from August 1 to September 30, 2017.
The Blueprint lists out the final strategies and initiatives in the above mentioned six major areas. The Government has taken into consideration Hong Kong’s challenges, unique local situation and strengths and opportunities ahead, and maps out in the Blueprint its smart city development plans in the next five years, and beyond.