Why ASEAN Smart Cities Must Prioritize Sustainability Before Technology
A new systematic review argues that cities cannot be truly smart without first becoming sustainable. For ASEAN's rapidly urbanizing economies, this carries important policy implications for digital infrastructure, e-governance, and long-term urban competitiveness.
Introduction
Smart city projects are proliferating across Southeast Asia. From Singapore's Smart Nation initiative to Indonesia's planned new capital Nusantara, Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor, and Vietnam's emerging digital urban centers, ASEAN governments are betting on technology to solve urban challenges. Yet a new systematic review in Frontiers in Sustainable Cities challenges a core assumption behind these projects: that technological innovation alone can deliver sustainable urban development.
The study, titled "Analyzing sustainable urban development through smart and sustainable cities: an integrated review," concludes that cities cannot be truly smart without first becoming sustainable. Its findings carry significant implications for ASEAN, a region where rapid urbanization, digital transformation, and climate vulnerability intersect.
The Research: Smart vs. Sustainable
The review systematically examined literature on smart cities and urban sustainability. It found that current smart city concepts often overemphasize technocentricity—the belief that installing sensors, building data platforms, and deploying AI will automatically improve urban life. In reality, the study argues, this approach creates "major hurdles" to genuine sustainability.
Key issues identified include:
- Ad-hoc conceptualization: Many smart city projects lack clear, consistent definitions of what "smart" or "sustainable" actually means, leading to fragmented policy design.
- Policy complexity: Overlapping governance structures and poorly aligned national and municipal strategies weaken implementation.
- Neglect of human and environmental capital: Technology is often prioritized at the expense of social equity, community participation, and ecological resilience.
The study defines a smart city as "an urban locality functioning as a healthy system of systems with sustainable and knowledge-based development activities." It stresses that achieving sustainable outcomes must precede or at least accompany technological investments.
What This Means for ASEAN
ASEAN's smart city ambitions are bold. The ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN), launched in 2018, includes 26 pilot cities across the region, all pursuing digital infrastructure, e-government, and data-driven services. However, the review suggests that these initiatives risk falling into the same traps if sustainability is not the central organizing principle.
Climate and Urban Pressure
The region is highly vulnerable to climate change. Coastal megacities like Jakarta, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City face flooding, heat stress, and rising sea levels. Urban centers also struggle with air pollution, waste management, and overcrowding. Technology can help, but only when embedded in a broader sustainability framework that addresses ecological limits and social resilience.
Digital Infrastructure and Energy
The expansion of data centers, 5G networks, and IoT devices under smart city programs increases energy demand. If powered by fossil fuels, these digital tools become part of the problem rather than the solution. The review highlights the need for urban planners to link smart city investments with clean energy transitions and circular economy principles.
Inclusivity and the Digital Divide
Across ASEAN, digitization risks leaving vulnerable groups behind. The review notes that a "truly smart" city must generate desired outcomes "for all humans and non-humans." This requires inclusive policy design, digital literacy programs, and affordable access to basic services. Without these, smart city projects can widen existing inequalities.
Regional Impact
If ASEAN takes the review's findings seriously, the impact could be significant:
- Policy alignment: National and municipal governments may shift from technology-driven procurement toward integrated urban planning frameworks that place climate goals, social equity, and sustainability at the core.
- Investment patterns: Infrastructure spending could tilt toward renewable-powered data centers, green building standards, and nature-based solutions rather than flagship gadgets.
- Regional standards: ASEAN might pursue common sustainability criteria for smart city projects, strengthening the bloc's collective competitiveness in areas like green technology and digital governance.
- Startup ecosystems: The demand for sustainable urban solutions—from clean energy management to waste-to-value platforms—could encourage innovation and venture capital flows into ASEAN's nascent climate tech sector.
Future Outlook
Over the next three to five years, several trends are likely to shape ASEAN's smart city landscape:
- Sustainability as a license to operate: Investors and international partners increasingly expect smart city projects to demonstrate measurable environmental and social benefits, not just digital maturity.
- Data governance and privacy: As cities collect more data, ASEAN will need robust frameworks for data protection and cybersecurity to maintain public trust.
- Decentralized experimentation: Smaller and secondary cities may leapfrog megacities by adopting low-cost, modular smart solutions that prioritize basic services and climate resilience.
- Regional cooperation: The ASEAN Smart Cities Network could evolve into a platform for shared data standards, co-developed AI models, and joint procurement of clean digital infrastructure.
Conclusion
The systematic review offers a timely warning for ASEAN's urbanists and policymakers. Technology is an enabler, not a panacea. Cities that invest in digital tools while neglecting sustainability will generate costly infrastructure, social friction, and environmental damage. Conversely, those that embed environmental limits, social equity, and institutional capacity into their smart city plans will be better positioned to prosper in an increasingly digital and climate-constrained world.
ASEAN has an opportunity to chart a different path—one where "smart" means not only connected and efficient but also resilient, equitable, and sustainable. As the review urges, the true measure of a smart city is not the number of sensors installed, but the quality of life it sustains for both people and the planet.
