Focus on developing smart cities in line with sustainable goals

GROWING up, I have always been fascinated by cities and how they operate as an interconnected system. Cities are essentially the heartbeat of a nation. They tell the story of how far a nation has progressed and reveal its unique characteristics to visitors.

Given the Covid-19 pandemic that is currently ravaging countries across the globe, we are now being forced to rethink and reshape our urban life. The value of community living (the theme of this year’s World Cities Day, which was celebrated on Oct 31) is becoming more important than ever with local volunteers self-organising in their neighbourhoods to help marginalised communities (namely the poor and elderly). We have seen communities uniting more strongly than ever for social movements, be it in the distribution of food or face masks and delivery of essential services.