KUALA LUMPUR (April 5): In Selangor, transportation officers no longer need to hop onto buses every now and then to make sure drivers don’t go off route. They can just use an app to track buses. In Penang, residents don’t have to drive around to look for a parking spot. They can use an app to identify parking spots ahead of time. Kuching residents, meanwhile, will encounter several smart traffic lights on their routes, which can optimise traffic flow.
 
These are some of the smart city initiatives driven by the respective states in Malaysia. The federal government also introduced a guideline for smart cities in 2019.

However, smart city plans have been proposed and abandoned around the world. How do our states ensure that these smart city initiatives really address the challenges faced by city dwellers on the ground, instead of just being a publicity stunt?

Read more about it in The Edge Malaysia weekly’s April 5 edition.

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