What does it take a metropolis to become a “smart city?” Eco-architect Jason Pomeroy ponders on the question and presents eight cities across the globe to redefine the term that has been riddled with misconceptions of sole reliance on technology, talking fridges, and Big Brother with Channel NewsAsia’s Smart Cities 2.0.
The 8-part series aired weekly shows the diversity of “smart cities”—and this is deliberate, according to Pomeroy, because each city employs a different technique to integrate technology and innovation to culture and everyday life. The filtering criterion, however, is universal.
“A truly smart city will not just utilize technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), but will foster community and promote culture as well—thus enhancing the quality of people lives,” Pomeroy explained.
The show features Songdo, South Korea; Bandung, Indonesia; Shenzhen, China; Ahmedabad, India; Barcelona, Spain; Higashimatsushima, Japan; Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Singapore. The show also connects with personalities such as architects, city planners, and academicians who had roles in shaping their respective cities.
Pomeroy, the show’s consultant and host, has designed Asia’s first carbon-zero landed property, Digital Hub at BSD City in Jakarta, and is working on a technology hub in Mediapolis, Singapore. His involvement with Smart Cities 2.0 reflects his advocacy on sustainable design and architecture.
“By 2050, we will have added a further 3 billion people living on this planet, many of whom will live in urban areas. So we will need smarter ways to build and plan our cities so that they become centers of growth and innovation, without destroying the natural environment,” he said.
Smart Cities 2.0 is produced by Very! and premieres on March 4 at 8:30 PM on Channel NewsAsia (Channel 45 for Cignal Digital TV, Channel 21 for Cablelink, and Channels 24 (Analog) and 109 (Digital) for Destiny Cable in the Philippines).
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