Why is Hong Kong Behind on Smart Cities?

Hong Kong, it seems, is falling behind other cities in getting smart, especially when compared to Singapore and Tokyo, which are leaders in the East Asian Smart City race.

According to a recent article by Kelly Olsen, CNBC Hong Kong Correspondent, there are several factors contributing to the slow pace, including overbearing bureaucracy and a lack of innovation.

The city is home to more than 7 million and has been a center of commerce for decades, but digital transformation technology for Smart City that can improve connectivity, efficiency and sustainability seems to be getting missed. Reportedly, the city in December made a Smart City plan for better citizen services and to entice economic investment.

EasyPark, an analyst firm, ranked Hong Kong 68th out of the top 100 cities surveyed in its 2017 Smart Cities Index, while Singapore was second and Tokyo was sixth. Seoul, South Korea came in twenty-first.

Beijing and Shanghai were behind Hong Kong on the Index, but China has made its commitment to Smart City very public over the last year, and will likely move aggressively enough to overtake in short order.

The city has good broadband infrastructure, and so are the transportation and healthcare systems, but the population is a huge strain and housing is reportedly becoming a problem. Most troubling is the fact that a recent Hong Kong Audit Commission report said more than a third of the city’s free public Wi-Fi hotspots are slower than official targets, as is use of the service.

If Hong Kong wants to stay competitive and attract new industry, it’s going to have to move faster on infrastructure upgrades and get government officials on board with encouraging innovation and investment. And sooner is better than later – or never.