ASEAN Smart Cities Network

The ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) is a collaborative platform which aims to unify smart city development efforts across ASEAN by facilitating cooperation on smart city development, creating bankable projects in conjunction with the private sector, and securing funding and support from ASEAN's external partners. It was launched at the 32nd ASEAN Summit as a key deliverable of Singapore's ASEAN Chairmanship 2018. The Inaugural Meeting of the ASCN took place on 8 July 2018.

Background

The ASCN is a response to the trend of the region's rapid urbanization. ASEAN's growth has primarily been driven by metropolises; 90 million more people are expected to reside in urban areas by 2030; "middleweight" cities of between 200,000 and 2 million residents forecast to drive 40% of the region's growth. The ASCN aims to help ASEAN Member States harness technological and digital solutions and thus improve the lives of people across the urban-rural continuum.

ASCN Cities

A list of the 26 Pilot Cities that have been nominated by the respective ASEAN Member States is as follows:

File:ASCN Map.jpg, 800px, Map of the 26 Pilot Cities (clickable)
rect 168 568 500 665 Mandalay
rect 981 616 1235 702 Hanoi
rect 793 696 1260 794 Luang Prabang
rect 134 723 517 820 Naypyidaw
rect 846 822 1166 908 Vientiane
rect 265 891 535 989 Yangon
rect 1206 1003 1502 1101 Da Nang
rect 1912 1026 2171 1112 Manila
rect 504 1094 805 1168 Bangkok
rect 922 1101 1269 1178 Siem Reap
rect 890 1140 1271 1257 Battambang
rect 534 1153 843 1248 Chonburi
rect 678 1232 1077 1318 Phnom Penh
rect 1116 1278 1614 1375 Ho Chi Minh City
rect 2113 1282 2442 1379 Cebu City
rect 637 1424 906 1510 Phuket
rect 2221 1497 2578 1596 Davao City
rect 1683 1551 2121 1637 Kota Kinabalu
rect 1598 1635 2231 1733 Bandar Seri Begawan
rect 474 1716 914 1813 Kuala Lumpur
rect 952 1789 1334 1869 Johor Bahru
rect 983 1869 1301 1950 Singapore
rect 1349 1851 1638 1949 Kuching
rect 1856 2223 2191 2309 Makassar
rect 1144 2302 1532 2390 Jakarta
rect 1540 2422 1932 2519 Banyuwangi
desc bottom-left

*- Bandar Seri Begawan
*- Battambang
*- Phnom Penh
*- Siem Reap
*- Makassar
*- Banyuwangi
*- Jakarta
*- Luang Prabang
*- Vientiane
*- Johor Bahru
*- Kuala Lumpur
*- Kota Kinabalu
*- Kuching
*- Naypyidaw
*- Mandalay
*- Yangon
*- Cebu City
*- Davao City
*- Manila
*- Singapore
*- Bangkok
*- Chonburi
*- Phuket
*- Da Nang
*- Hanoi
*- Ho Chi Minh City

The Smart City Action Plans and Priority Projects developed by the 26 Pilot Cities can be foun
here

Representation

Each ASEAN Member State nominates a National Representative to the Network. In addition, each city also nominates a Chief Smart City Officer (CSCO). The status of a CSCO is equivalent to that of a Chief Urban Planner or Chief Resilience Officer. CSCO's role is to attend the annual meeting, craft
his or her respective city’s action plan and discuss the ASEAN Smart Cities Framework. There is thus representation at both the national and municipal levels. The table below lists the CSCOs who are each city's main point of contact with the Network.

Support and partnerships

In March 2018, Australia announced an A$30 million fund to support smart city development in ASEAN.

In July 2018, five agreements were signed during the Opening Ceremony of the Inaugural ASCN Meeting. Among them was an agreement between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) which expressed support for the ASCN in the context of promoting sustainable development in the Asia Pacific. An agreement was also signed between the Amata Smart City Corporation Chonburi and the Yokohama Urban Solutions Alliance.

References

{{reflist

ASEAN
Economic geography
Sustainable urban planning
Urban studies and planning terminology
Smart cities