U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership
As Southeast Asian cities continue to encounter challenges associated with rapid urbanization, climate change, and economic challenges, increasing opportunities to become smarter, more sustainable cities, rely on working in partnership with local and national governments, multi-sector stakeholders, international partners and the private sector.
On July 31, 2022, at the Singapore World Cities Summit, the U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce organized a workshop that showcased innovative smart cities programs and initiatives led by the U.S. Government interagency and multi-sectoral partners to help cities continue on their trajectory for sustainable growth and development. The U.S. Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank Ambassador Chantale Wong delivered keynote remarks. The workshop included discussions on city planning analytics led by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and developing and financing city projects. Several USASCP smart cities innovations were highlighted, including the generation of renewable energy on biking infrastructure, implemented by the US National Science Foundation through U.S.-ASEAN academic partnerships. Also presented were the six priority areas funded by the 2022 launch of the Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund, that target net-zero urban solutions in repurposing of plastics, solar panel recycling, bio-degradable seaweed packaging, 3-D printable hydrological stations, school gardens, and transit analytics.
