The Long Way to Realize a Smart City
A smart city is a dream coveted by various cities and districts, especially in Indonesia. The smart city tagline embedded in their program is sufficient to increase regional competitiveness. This factor is one of the indicators of success for regions in Indonesia. The increase in the value of the regions enables many things, like regional investment, increased revenue, and allocated funds from the central government. Inevitably, smart cities have always been a weapon that can be used by local governments.
Smart cities are always associated with the use of sophisticated technologies, the concept of information centers, to internet/connectivity development. This identification is commonplace because the concept of a smart city itself does not yet have an agreed universal definition. The lack of clarity of the concept opens up opportunities for local governments to compete in making a “blueprint” for their own version of the smart city concept and its supporting applications.
In fact, dreams that are expected do not always match the expectations. For the government, the development of smart cities has many challenges. Blueprints that are made “extraordinarily” come with obstacles or “status quo” realities that require change.
In various discussion forums, there are always questions about obstacles and challenges. The questions exist because in reality, the readiness of various regions has not yet met the minimum standards for smart cities. Even for regions that are quite developed, it is sometimes difficult to realize smart cities.
Realizing a smart city has become a necessity amidst the global developments and problems which also depend on the characteristics of each region. In Indonesia, we have more than 514 cities and regencies with various ethnic, cultural, and geographic areas. But in my experience, there are at least several main factors that hinder the efforts to realize a smart city:
1. The investment is quite large
To realize smart cities in all areas in Indonesia, the government must invest quite a lot for the city government. It is not enough just to rely on investment from the city government budget to create a smart city in a quick way. Even if it is starting to be carried out, the process will take time if it is not balanced with experts to design a smart city.
2. Human Resources
The lack of knowledge obtained by human resources in Indonesia has made smart cities something strange and will only complicate things. Added with the large amount of investment that must be spent making stakeholders reluctant to invest in smart cities. Experts in this field are needed to solve the problems faced by Indonesia appropriately.
3. Infrastructure is not evenly distributed
The essential factor in realizing a smart city is the availability of a stable internet connection. Currently, the internet in Indonesia is not evenly distributed, there are significant differences between big cities and small cities, especially in remote areas. This condition is a serious obstacle to the development of a smart city because the internet is a fundamental requirement in the development of a smart city.
4. Bureaucratic reform
The last challenge which is also the biggest challenge is bureaucratic reform. From the old rigid approach to a new dynamic and data-based approach. Second, increasing the awareness of other stakeholders to be actively involved. Third, a strong and long-term vision/mission. Fourth, oversight of the implementation of the government itself.
In my opinion, those are the top four obstacles that in my opinion can hinder the development of smart cities in Indonesia. These constraints must be immediately addressed by local and central governments. One of the factors that often be the determinant is the regional leaders’ commitment that must be followed by the state civil apparatus (ASN) under them.
With this commitment, the smart city policy will move as a collective movement, not individual. Therefore, efforts to eliminate sectoral egos in government and other stakeholders are urgently needed, in line with the statement of President Joko Widodo who hopes that the implementation of smart cities in Indonesia will accelerate the realization of Indonesia as a smart nation.
References:
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/iese/2018/07/13/the-smartest-cities-in-the-world-in-2018/#4f7066a72efc
- https://kominfo.go.id/content/detail/11656/langkah-menuju-100-smart-city/0/sorotan_media
- https://www.digi.city/smart-city-definitions
- https://www.sales1crm.com/blog/kendala-penerapan-smart-city-yang-dihadapi-di-indonesia
- https://id.techinasia.com/apa-itu-smart-city-dan-penerapan-di-indonesia
