An Unsustainable Smart City: Lessons from Uneven Citizen Education and Engagement in Thailand

Abstract

The sustainability of a smart city development depends on the interpretations and prioritization driven by the key actors. Currently; the “top-down” smart city implementation in many countries is at risk of disengaging with local stakeholders and further widening the social disparities in the cities. This paper presents the socio-political contexts of a smart city, the citizens’ perspectives and awareness using Phuket, and Thailand as a case study. Desktop research was used to describe the context of the smart city policy; key driving organizations; budget allocation; and the guiding vision and mission statements at the local level. A survey of 409 residents was conducted to assess their awareness and willingness to participate in Phuket Smart City (PSC) activities as well as internet behavior and communication channels. The findings reveal uneven awareness of PSC across demographic groups. PSC was more familiar to the middle-aged; highly educated; high-income; and locals with leadership positions and living near the city center. A perceived lack of knowledge, time, information, and relevance affected the residents’ willingness to be involved in smart city development. Active communication and grass-root engagement are needed to improve public awareness and engagement in smart city implementation and achieve meaningful and equitable development.

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“…They explore how digital tools can optimise resources, improve administrative processes, enhance service delivery, and increase urban resilience. Sontiwanich (2022) and Caperna, Minervino and Serafini (2017) emphasise the essential role of active citizen participation in shaping urban planning and operations, while Millard (2017) and Ncamphalala…”

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“…Phuket is economically affluent due to its popularity as a tourist destination. This means the budget for the smart city development can also be funded by the local government, in addition to the financial support from the central government (Khianmeesuk, 2017, p. 82; Sontiwanich et al, 2022, p. 3).…”

“…Phuket has two SC initiatives underway. The central government‐led Phuket Smart City Project, managed by DEPA, focuses on two main themes of Smart Economy and Smart Living Community, and supports projects like high‐speed internet and free Wi‐Fi installation, an innovation park, smart tourism, safe city, environmental management sensors, and a Phuket city data platform (Nanthaamornphong et al, 2020, p. 717, Sontiwanich et al, 2022, p. 5).…”

“…In the meantime, the local administrative organization called the Phuket Provincial Organization (PPO) has developed its own smart city development vision called “Smile Smart and Sustainable Phuket” with seven themes of smart economy, smart education, smart environment, smart governance, smart health, smart safety, and smart tourism, which is more extensive compared with the central government's focus on smart economy and smart living community (Appendix for the differences in themes and visions) (Sontiwanich et al, 2022, p. 5).…”

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“…This initiative aims to boost the country's competitiveness by capitalizing on Phuket's appeal to global tourists and embracing diverse lifestyles, creating an environment conducive to technological advancements. The Phuket Smart City 2020 serves as a pilot project for a smart province, striving to improve the quality of life and establish a modern, sustainable business model [4].…”