SINGAPORE

Singapore’s Smart Nation Vision, launched in 2014, sought to use new technologies to tackle an aging population, urban density, and energy sustainability.

The initiative covers a spectrum of smart city implementations, including the city’s Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), a smart sensor network designed to monitor environmental factors, e-government initiatives, telemonitoring healthcare pilots, a mobile app for public services, the promotion of self-driving vehicles, and an analytics-driven city planning platform.

It is difficult to evaluate how ‘smart’ Singapore is as many of these projects are still in limited pilots and rollout stages. However, as the government owns roughly 80% of public housing in which residents live, the city has an advantage in being able to try out IoT and smart services not just on the streets, but in the home.

MIT Professor Carlo Ratti

"There’s not one single city doing everything right, but there are many doing great things. Singapore is doing well in the field of mobility, Copenhagen in the field of sustainability, and Boston is great in the field of citizen participation.”