Right-sizing the smart city in Southeast Asia

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-2025

Abstract

The idea of right-sizing, or the process of adjusting the size of a city to maximise the efficient use of resources, has traditionally been used in strategic management and the resizing of shrinking cities to promote efficient urban development. Concurrently, in contemporary discourse, the sizing of smart cities has emerged as a critical topic, as size impacts the implementation of smart initiatives. Smaller cities offer the advantage of serving as cost- effective testing grounds for innovative solutions; however, they also need to be sizeable enough to attract private investments and build a robust smart city ecosystem. In this paper we demonstrate how in the context of smart city planning and governance in Southeast Asia, different actors are adopting new spatial strategies to address the sizing question. The idea of right-sizing requires rethinking in the context of smart city because it captures how effectively cities are scaled to balance technological innovations with socio-economic and administrative demands. Through three case studies from Southeast Asia, we analyse three distinct smart city right-sizing strategies: dispersal, zoning, and merging. By examining these, the paper highlights the complexities and nuances in determining the right size of a smart city across discrete contexts.

Discipline

Asian Studies | Urban Studies and Planning

Research Areas

Integrative Research Areas

Publication

Area

First Page

1

Last Page

9

ISSN

0004-0894

Identifier

10.1111/area.70014

Publisher

Wiley

Additional URL

http://doi.org/10.1111/area.70014

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