Taiwan catches global smart city wave

2016/04/01

Taiwan is embracing the smart city concept and capitalizing on its information communications technology sector advantages to lead the way in forging new digital frontiers in the 21st century and beyond.

The naming last month of New Taipei City and Hsinchu County in northern Taiwan among the top seven intelligent communities by New York City-based Intelligent Community Forum illustrates this trend. Six municipalities in Taiwan have made the list since 2004, with Taipei and Taichung in central Taiwan winning the top ICF award in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

Taiwan’s strong forum showing is backed by the country’s advanced infrastructure and high-tech prowess. Of these, Taipei’s YouBike system boasts one of the highest turnover rates in the world. The system is a model for cities such as Honolulu, Manila and Singapore.

Sizeable investment in mobile broadband connectivity is further evidence of Taiwan’s smart city commitment. The free public Wi-Fi service in Taipei is one of the best in the world, according to U.K.-based website Business Insider. In addition, an increasing number of buses in Hsinchu, Taipei and Tainan cities also offer fourth-generation Wi-Fi access.

The three outlying counties of Kinmen, Lienchiang and Penghu are also rolling out smart city policies. Kinmen plans to launch an integrated circuit resident card, Lienchiang runs an e-government platform offering streamlined services for residents and Penghu maintains an app providing tourist information.

These developments were some of the many local initiatives spotlighted during the Taipei City Government-organized 2016 Smart City Summit and Expo March 22-25 in Taipei. The event attracted participants from around the globe and promoted collaboration and exchanges in smart city development between Taiwan and other countries.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=243495&ctNode=2194&mp=9)