Government starts contest for '2023 Smart City Creation/Expansion Project'

[Smart City Today]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Won Hee-ryong) will hold a contest for the '2023 Smart City Creation and Expansion Project'. It is a project to solve smart city solutions and scattered urban problems by cooperating with citizens, companies, and local governments.

This year, in addition to the "Solution Spread Project" which distributes excellent smart solutions nationwide, and the "Base Project" that drives the spread of smart cities, a new "Strong Small Smart City Project" will be introduced to create a leading city in response to environmental changes such as climate crisis and regional extinction.

The 'Base-type Project' is to create a smart base that induces the spread of smart cities to solve existing urban problems. Two cities that can serve as smart hubs will be selected this year.

20 billion won of state funds will be provided to the selected areas for three years (one-on-one matching of local expenses). It will establish a smart infrastructure that supports regional specialization and high-tech industries and support the distribution of innovative urban services to serve as a smart city hub. While supporting the commercialization of innovative technologies, spatial regulation support will also be provided to create urban spaces that demand businesses and local governments.

The Strong Small Smart City Project is to build a small and medium-sized smart city to create a leading city with specialized solutions so that small and medium-sized cities can be sustainable and competitive by securing responsiveness to environmental changes.

A total of four places are planned to be selected, including two climate crisis-responsive cities such as eco-friendly and carbon-neutral specialized cities and climate disaster-zero leading cities, and two regional extinction-responsive cities such as population change and regional industry vitality support cities. It targets cities with a population of less than 1 million, and 12 billion won in state funds will be provided to selected project sites for a total of two years (1:1 matching local expenses).

The solution expansion project is to distribute effects evenly and verified smart solutions such as smart crosswalks and smart bus shelters nationwide. Local governments with a population of less than 300,000 are eligible.

A total of eight business sites will be selected through a public offering, and 2 billion won in state funds will be provided per project site for one year (matching local expenses 1:1). Smart solutions will be established first in the selected areas, and coaching from preceding local governments with empirical experience and consulting by professional institutions will be supported as a package.

The project to create and spread smart cities was announced collectively on February 6. Solution diffusion projects will be accepted from March 28 to 30, and small and strong small, and base-type projects will be accepted from April 5 to 7. The final selection will be made in April after evaluation by an evaluation committee composed of experts in related fields.

Gil Byung-woo, an urban policy officer at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The smart city creation and expansion project is for local governments to create various types of smart cities that meet the local needs of citizens and companies."

"We hope that each local government will actively discover smart services that local residents can feel and sustain," he said.