Smart systems

“Smart city” can have different connotations. A“smartcity” can be defined with the terms “intelligent”, “digital”, “interconnected”, “creative”, “sustainable”, “innovative” or even as a “place for high-educated

people, education and knowledge” (Hatuka et al. 2018, Albino, Berardi, Dangelico 2015).

According to Dameri (2013), a smart city is “a geographical area in which high technologies such as ICT,

logistic and energy production cooperate to create benefits for citizens in terms of wellbeing, inclusion and participation, environmental quality, intelligent development” (2013: 2549). Furthermore, a smart city

improves the performance of public services (e.g. transports, energy, housing, waste and water management), to reduce consumption, waste and overall costs (Neirotti et al. 2014, Mohamed, Lazarova- Molnar and Al-Jaroodi 2017). Thus, the overarching aim of a smart city is to enhance the quality of living through smart technology. Generally speaking, technologies can be considered intelligent when they have an awareness of the situation and can react to it (Worden 2003). They can detect, sense, measure, and record data to communicate and interact with system operators and managers and to analyse the situation enabling quick responses and optimize troubleshooting solutions (Ho Kim 2019).

In the tweets, it appears that “smart city” is connected to the implementations of smart systems for

bettering the lives of citizens and being more efficient and sustainable. Nevertheless, the tweets do not provide any explanation of these smart systems. Using complex terminologies without explaining them is not fruitful for delivering messages to the majority of people who are not expert in the field of urban planning and technology. The use of the English language further complicates the comprehension for Indonesian people. While it is more or less clear what green and sustainable means, it is not clear how the mentioned

“intelligent” systems functions. In order to detect the cutting-edge urbanism of the new capital, it is necessary to explain the concept, and the provide examples briefly.

Bappenas often cites the concept of smart waste management. In this case, a sensor that measures the fill level is attached to the waste receptacle, and the measured data is transferred to the Cloud computing. Thanks to the IoT (Internet of Things, repeatedly mentioned in the tweets) it is thus possible to maximize collection services and reduce operational cost, converting waste management into data-driven collection processes (Jamrozik 2019, Ray 2015). Bappenas goes beyond this definition, stating that waste management in Ibu Kota Baru will be carried out through the principle of Waste to Energy (WtE) and the principle of Circular Economy for waste (3R approach). In the Waste-to-Energy system, the discarded products are used as a renewable source of energy. In this way, it is possible to create a valid alternative to energy from fossil fuels, lowering CO2 emissions (Kothari et al. 2010). Circular economy differs from the linear economy as, while in the latter raw materials are processed into products and thrown away, in the circular economy products are constantly recycled, thus making the production more sustainable. The mentioned 3R approach refers to the three English words of reuse, reduce and recycle, pillars of the circular economy. Promoters claim that the

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circular economy that does not only look for a good ecological impact but also at the economic and social impact, thus focusing in bettering the quality of life of the people (Andersen 2007, Accenture 2014).

Equally important in the tweets is the concept of smart water management system. This system is used to provide a more resilient and efficient water supply scheme that lessen the cost and waste and improve the sustainability of the city. High-technology solutions for the water sector include digital meters and sensors used for transmitting information in real-time (e.g. rain gauges, pressure monitoring), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems to optimize the information (e.g. sewerage and water treatment control), geographic information systems (GIS) and software to store data (Ho Kim 2018). A smart system provides water managers with updated information to promptly find the right solutions. In the

tweets, a synonym given to “smart” is “circular”, in this case, circular water management system. Figure 6.4 shows the circular economy applied to water.

Figure 6.4. Smart water management system. The left side of the graphic shows the natural system, where the ecosystem re-optimize, re-use and replenish water by itself. The right side represents the human management system, which copy the natural system thought the 5R approach (avoid use, reduce, reuse, recycle, replenish). From: Water and circular economy. Source: Ellen McArthur Foundation 2018

Besides enjoying the benefits of smart waste and water management, Ibu Kota Baru will avail of smart grids, smart transports, smart hospitals, e-cars, integrated recyclable system and integrated information system. Smart Grids consist of electronic grids working together with controls, computers, automation, new technologies and equipment to respond digitally to the changing electric demand (Shabanzadeh and

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Moghaddam 2013). The Intelligent transport system aims at minimizing traffic problems while assuring road safety and efficient infrastructure through sensors, information processors, communication system, roadside messages and GPS (Choudhary 2019). Smart hospitals use smart technologies and artificial intelligence to make diagnosis and achieve better care. The integrated recyclable system refers to the circular economy for waste, where parts of products are constantly reused in a closed-loop.

It should be clearer now what exactly a smart city is and what these intricate systems bring to a city. Smart technologies have never been employed to Indonesian cities in such vast proportions. Should the new capital become a smart city, it would be a breakthrough for Indonesia. Furthermore, as these smart technologies are employed to make urban systems more sustainable and eco-friendlier, they might create a new vision of a city. City is not only a place to inhabit, but a place for people where they are free to choose whether to use transport, bicycle or walk, and they do not need to deal with pollution or traffic.

To summarize, the new capital is expected to provide a new, modern, safe and clean environment for its inhabitants, reflecting the modernity which Indonesia is aspiring to. We have also seen that modernity is not linked to something recalling Indonesia, nor Southeast Asia as there are no cities mentioned besides Putrajaya. Nevertheless, it is worth questioning how this city, brilliantly reflecting the image of a modern country, will benefit the rest of the population which presumably wants to live in clean, safe and efficient cities. Although the tweet advocates that Jakarta will be a business city, there is no reference of Jakarta as a next smart and liveable city that can copy the model of the new capital. It is only highlighted that Jakarta will reduce its population as 1 million people will move in the new capital. More details will be given in paragraph 6.7. Before that, it is important to discuss another point that the Indonesian government has cherished: the internationalism of Ibu Kota Baru. Despite there are not clear and direct explanations regarding how the new capital will manage to be an international city, this intent is clear when looked at the language used. English words are indeed used when certain concepts are cited. Let us analyse this.