Page 57 - ITU-T Focus Group Digital Financial Services – Executive Summary

2 The Smart city related activities in Singapore

2.1 Vision

“Therefore our vision is for Singapore to be a Smart Nation – A nation where people live meaningful and
fulfilled lives, enabled seamlessly by technology, offering exciting opportunities for all. We should see it in our
daily living where networks of sensors and smart devices enable us to live sustainably and comfortably. We
should see it in our communities where technology will enable more people to connect to one another more
easily and intensely. We should see it in our future where we can create possibilities for ourselves beyond
what we imagined possible.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
24 Nov 2014
In order to achieve the vision of a smart city in addition to mitigating and adapting to climate change
impacts, it is necessary that government and the private sector in Singapore work together to enable
and facilitate this transition. Singapore has aimed to achieve this by integrating the aspect of
‘smartness’ into its city planning and incorporating ICTs into economic and domestic sectors, to
improve energy efficiency at the household and business level and promote intelligent sustainable
buildings, efficient water management, better education and awareness related to smart initiatives.
The Smart Nation vision in Singapore also aims to provide healthcare for an ageing population,
implement transport solutions and improve overall logistics (especially for the maritime industry).
The main overarching initiatives within the Smart Nation Singapore vision include:
(a) Health: Health hub portal, Tele-health, Assistive technology and robotics for aging and
healthcare.
(b) Living: Smart homes, apps for reporting environmental issues
(c) Services: Smart Cashless Society, Digital Government, Regulatory Sandbox for Innovative
Fintech Experimentation.
(d) Mobility: Self driving vehicles, mobility on demand and a contactless, account-based fare
payment system.

2.2 Implementation

Singapore’s notion of a Smart Nation is based on its ability to gather data, interpret it, glean insights and then
translate those insights into meaningful action. The following are some important areas that Singapore
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focuses, in keeping with their smart city aspirations :
• Smart city planning: This is one of the key features for establishing a smart sustainable city. The
Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) develops the Master and Concept Plans for land use and this
guides development for the next 10-15 years. In 2008, an Inter-Ministerial Committee on
Sustainable Development helped build a “Sustainable Development Blueprint”, outlining that
Singapore should be efficient, clean and green in its development. In September 2014, Singapore’s
Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced its Smart HDB Town Framework, which guides
the introduction of smart initiatives into HDB towns under four dimensions, i.e. Smart Planning,
Smart Environment, Smart Estate and Smart Living. Under Smart Planning, HDB aims to use
computer simulations and data analytics to augment current planning efforts, in order to provide
residents with well-designed homes in green and sustainable towns. An example is the Complex
Systems Modelling tool, a decision-making tool that allows planners to choose the most effective
and viable combinations of solutions to achieve their desired sustainability target.

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11 These areas do not represent the scope or fields of the Smart Nation vision. These key areas have been explored
with the intention of highlighting key strategies adopted by Singapore which will support the country’s transition to
a smart sustainable city. For detailed analysis of the Smart Nation vision and related activities, please refer to the
report on the ITU pilot project in Singapore.

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