Rethinking Smart Cities for the Developing World ????
Alphin Tom
??? Smart City & Innovation Leader | ? AI Governance & Sustainability Expert | ??????TUM | ??B.A.U.M Consult GmbH
Cities in developing countries often face tremendous challenges with rapid urbanization, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and access to basic services. As urban populations boom, city managers struggle to keep up. ???????
But there is hope! ?? My colleagues ( Korthong Thongtham Na Ayutthaya , Fedrick Mukabi Kamwati) and I studied how to create smarter, more responsive and inclusive cities tailored to the unique contexts of the developing world. ????
We focused on critical areas like:
We conducted an in-depth case study focused on Bangkok's Khlong Toey district, an informal settlement dating back to the 1950s that is emblematic of challenges faced across urban centers of the developing world. We worked with the residents to identify key problems and co-create solutions. ?????
According to the literature review, the district face challenges like:
We distributed surveys to identify key pain points from the citizens' perspective. ??
Top problems included environment, mobility, and governance.
Next, we gathered creative solutions from the citizens themselves and combined with our expertise to craft tailored proposals. ?????
The end result? A framework for developing cities to become more:
With policy shifts like:
And smart technologies like:
Let's build future cities that truly serve the needs of citizens in the developing world. ?????
What do you see as key to smarter, more responsive cities in developing nations? Let me know! ???? ??