Watch:
Eco-architect Jason Pomeroy, will be hosting an exciting new TV series for Channel NewsAsia, called Smart Cities 2.0. The weekly 8-part TV series will explore some of the world’s most renown smart cities, and how they combine technology, culture, history and tradition to make them smarter and more efficient. Smart Cities 2.0 extends over eight episodes, and includes Songdo, South Korea; Bandung, Indonesia; Shenzhen, China; Ahmedabad, India; Barcelona, Spain; Higashimatsushima, Japan; Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Singapore. It will air on Channel NewsAsia from March 4, 2017. As well as delving into the cities themselves, Pomeroy interviews personalities who have had a role in shaping their respective cities, including architects, city planners and academics. The cities covered include:
- Episode 1 | Songdo, South Korea ‘“ Songdo is a city that has never known what it is like NOT to be a Smart City. From its inception, the city was designed to allow technology to enhance every aspect of daily life. Sensors measure everything from the weather to traffic, while two-way video screens built into every home allow citizens to access a yoga lesson or visit their doctor from their living rooms
- Episode 2 | Bandung, Indonesia ‘“ Bandung suffers from many of the urban issues of overcrowding, pollution and traffic congestion that beset developing cities. To tackle this, the city leverages on the power of social media to connect citizens together to help solve such pressing urban issues and enhance their lives
- Episode 3 | Shenzhen, China ‘“ Shenzhen has been coined the factory floor of the World, and is also known as the Silicon Valley of hardware. The city is the global playground for those looking to test out the latest in Smart City technology, and much of that technology is applied to the city in some shape or form
- Episode 4 | Ahmedabad, India ‘“ given its incredible rate of growth, and urbanisation India, more than any other country, needs its cities to get smarter if it is to reach developed nation status. We look at Ahmedabad efforts to tackle congestion and improve connectivity through technology and planning
- Episode 5 | Barcelona, Spain ‘“ With its nineteenth century Gaudi architecture, Barcelona would not strike many people as the epitome of a modern Smart City, but the Spanish city has had to embrace the digital age while staying true to the culture and heritage that makes the city so memorable
- Episode 6 | Higashimatsushima, Japan ‘“ this Smart City was forged from tragedy. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan brought unprecedented damage, cutting off Higashimatsushima’s power supply for weeks. From then on, the city’s governors vowed to never be as reliant on the national grid again, resulting in a leaner, more efficient, zero-carbon Smart City
- Episode 7 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands ‘“ The Dutch city of Amsterdam has found ways to leverage data analytics, and ‘translating’ this data into actionable information, to manage the incredible complexity that being a leading global city and trade hub brings
- Episode 8 | Singapore ‘“ this small City State is already well ahead of its peers when it comes to developing itself as a Smart City, with driverless car trials and a highly-connected population. Yet Singapore’s ambitions extend beyond a city to embrace a ‘Smart Nation’ which the country aims to export to other cities
Find out more on TravelDailyNews, Asia-Pacific and the architect’s website.