Executive summary The island city-state of Singapore is an enigma in many ways. Fortunately, the program is linked both to economic activities In late 2014, Singapore rolled out the Smart Nation initiative. and to improving quality of life, education, and mobility within a Authorities launched a megadigitalization project to transform systematic approach to exploiting data. On the economic level, the the city-state into a hyperconnected nation infused with city utilizes the concept of freight as a service (FaaS) to capitalize cutting-edge digital and computing technologies. This Smart on its geographical location, optimize the flow of goods, and Nation initiative (SNI) was officially launched in 2014 by Prime maintain its role as the logistical hub for Southeast Asia. Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and three years later benefited from a government injection of 2.4 billion Singapore dollars To encourage the emergence of urban services, the city is (equivalent to 1.73 billion US dollars or 1.51 billion euros). developing an outstanding urban digital ecosystem. Singapore has also opened one of the world’s first government-owned The basic idea was clear: harness the power of information open-data platforms. Singapore’s Smart Nation vision is and communication technologies (ICT) to remediate policy driven by the country’s desire to stay ahead of the curve and problems and deliver to citizens tangible improvements in to be among the leading cities of the world. the quality of life. Four years into the Smart Nation journey, Singapore had already won various awards, among them the This city-state remains at the top of the list of the world’s City Award at the 2018 Smart City Expo World Congress in smart cities and holds first place in many categories, among Barcelona, Spain (Smart City Expo World Congress 2018). them mobility, productivity, health, and security. We have identified six ways in which Singapore is transforming its The main objective of Singapore’s Smart Nation policy has been urban landscape. to underline the complexity involved in using hyperconnective modern technology to improve urban life. The aim has been to Mobility as a shared community experience create a city powered by digital innovation and technology that responds to citizens’ ever-changing needs. According to the Singapore’s high urban density allows the city-state to IMD’s inaugural Smart City Index, Singapore was recognized optimize transport efficiency through the use of sensor in 2018 as not just a smart city but as the smartest city in the technology. An autonomous fleet of cars helps the city’s world. Many commentators and analysts have gone to great elderly and disabled residents to stay mobile. To optimize lengths to identify the specific features of this initiative. transportation, public data—or “open data”—is being used on a trial basis to facilitate transport planning. A wealthy “smart nation” Data from fare cards with sensors is collected by more than It is easy to recognize Singapore’s progress as remarkable five thousand vehicles, and the real-time tracking of buses is but more difficult to see it as a model for others to follow. It constantly analyzed. Contactless payment technology is being would surely be more appropriate to refer to it as a laboratory, used to streamline the movements and payments made by a city-lab, with its 5.6 million inhabitants packed into a space the 7.5 million passengers who use public transport each of seven hundred square kilometers and its status as the day. The city is also running the Smart Mobility 2020 initiative, second best-performing economy in the world. a joint venture between the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS) to enhance An ambitious program based on a political vision commuters’ travel experience through the development of intelligent transport mechanisms such as toll systems. In the case of Singapore, hiding behind the generic term “smart city” is one of the world’s most ambitious programs to An aging population in a smart nation put technology at a city’s disposal. The government has played a proactive role in developing the necessary IT infrastructure By 2050, 47 percent of Singapore’s population will be sixty- and devising pragmatic policies to encourage IT-related five or older. To reduce the pressure of an aging population multinational corporations to set up operations in Singapore. on the city’s care services, Singapore has digitalized its Information infrastructure has not been left to the private sector. healthcare system, which now offers, for example, video 144 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021