Digitalization - Key Enabler of Smart City Cluster Development

Siemens AG

I. Introduction

With accelerating economic globalization and regional economic integration, urban competition is no longer the competition among individual cities within an administrative region. Cities will participate in the process of globalization as a broader subject in a broader space and form. China increasingly speeds up in its urbanization. Many cities are undergoing profound changes. From the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, to the Yangtze River Delta, to Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, city clusters are booming. Within the cluster, cities share resources, open their markets to each other, and complement each other's strengths to achieve common prosperity and sustainable development.

The National New Urbanization Plan (2014-2020) by the State Council officially outlines the development of smart cities. The plan clearly calls for promoting the development of smart cities, making overall use of physical, information and intellectual resources for urban development, and promoting the innovative application of new-generation information technologies such as the Internet of things, cloud computing and big data. The concept of smart city cluster was first proposed in the 13th Five-year National Informatization Plan released at the end of 2016, clearly putting forward the requirements for super-large cities to build smart city clusters by taking the world's advanced cities as the benchmarking. The development of smart city clusters means that people can enjoy convenient services and happy lives across cities in the future. Undoubtedly, the achievement of such ambition requires a wide range of support, such as smart infrastructure, including an intermodal transportation network, smart buildings, sustainable energy, and smart manufacturing digital factories.

However, the realization of smart city clusters cannot rely solely on technologies. There has to be better coordination between cities in formulating development plans. By sharing information and removing barriers in various markets and mechanisms, factors such as capital, labor and information can flow freely within the region.

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