Silk Road Smart Cities Sustainable Growth and Recovery Drivers for Central Asia?
Central Asian countries have engaged in digitalization strategies, a trend that has been visibly accelerated in the region's capital cities, where infrastructure, services, and wealth are concentrated. However, as the transition from a predominantly rural to more urbanized economy is still unde...
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Published in | Unlocking Private Investment in Sustainable Infrastructure in Asia Vol. 1; pp. 57 - 63 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Book Chapter |
Language | English |
Published |
Routledge
2023
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Edition | 1 |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Central Asian countries have engaged in digitalization strategies, a trend that has been visibly accelerated in the region's capital cities, where infrastructure, services, and wealth are concentrated. However, as the transition from a predominantly rural to more urbanized economy is still under way, and access to broadband internet remains quite uneven, the Covid-19 crisis has also illustrated the weaknesses of the private sector. While investments in information technologies are key to restoring and securing long-term growth, the development of digital, physical, and social infrastructure should go hand in hand, and support a comprehensive and more harmonized urban agenda across the region. Standalone "smart cities" projects and designated mega-urban development projects will not deliver on much needed macro-economic transformation, in particular in the Covid-19 crisis context. To contribute to intra-regional cooperation and growth via public and private investments, Central Asia would greatly benefit from connecting with the sustainable urban infrastructure multilateral agenda promoted by the G20, as it is expected to reach +80 milliion inhabitants by 2030 (SEnECA 2019). |
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ISBN: | 9781032133454 1032133457 1032133465 9781032133461 |
DOI: | 10.4324/9781003228790-5 |