More than half of the world’s population live in cities and that number is expected to grow to nearly three quarters by 2050. Increasingly, cities are eager to position themselves as the ‘Smart Cities’ of the future, but what qualifies a city to be designated as ‘smart’? How can communities better design their cities, harnessing tech solutions to address congestion, environmental degradation, inequality, accessibility, data privacy, and many other challenges? CGM has an ongoing research collaboration with Seoul National University on these very questions and the governance implications of smart city design. CGM works closely with SNU on their Global Open Innovation Networks and Groups (GOING) initiative to foster international collaboration around these technologies.
CGM Associate Director Martin Weiss discussed this research at two conferences co-hosted by SNU. First, on the topic of Governance Capacity Development and co-hosted with the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs. The series was part of their larger initiative: Strengthening Public Governance & Accelerating Innovation to Achieve Agenda 2030. Weiss was featured at the April 9 session with his talk, Smart for Whom? On the Governance of the Smart City.
SNU also co-hosted the Virtual Knowledge Exchange on Smart Cities for Sustainable Development organized with the World Bank Group Open Learning Campus and the Korea Program for Operational Knowledge (KPOK). The month-long conference was structured around four thematic areas: Green, Smart, Development, and Vision. It gathered together global experts to promote knowledge sharing and foster a community of practice for smart city development worldwide. Weiss joined an expert panel with Dr. Jun-seok Hwang from SNU, sharing his research into radio spectrum sharing, coordinating stakeholders within network design, and standardizing processes to solve major city challenges through innovative use of technology, data, and available resources. Watch the panel.