Comparing Smart Country Experiences: The Cases of Estonia and Singapore

Year 2022, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 630 - 647, 15.06.2022

Abidin Kemeç

https://doi.org/10.35674/kent.1063765

Abstract

In parallel with technological developments, cities have entered a rapid transformation process. With this transformation, the demands and expectations of the people living in the city have been constantly updated. There has been a significant change in the viewpoint of the managers on the policy making process, the relationship they establish with the citizens, the process of involving the stakeholders in the decision mechanisms and the way of service delivery. As a reflection of this change and transformation in cities, the concept of smart city has become a popular discussion topic in recent years. Estonia, which gained its independence in 1991, has achieved success both by using blockchain technology and by carrying out studies to create a digital citizen. Singapore, which is located in the southernmost part of the Asian continent and is poor in terms of natural resources but is now an important trade center in the world, has shown an exemplary digital transformation performance. In this respect, these two countries have been chosen as examples worth examining. Answers were sought to the questions of what kind of digital transformation Estonia and Singapore are going through and what practices that can inspire other cities in this transformation that took place in a short time. In Estonia, especially in Tallinn, projects have been carried out for the smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people, smart governance and smart life components of the smart city. Among Estonia's prominent smart and digital projects; contactless mobile payment, autonomous vehicle, 3D Urban Information Model, SmartEnCity Initiative, digital signature, mobile identity card, e-residence, DigiDoc, e-cabinet, e-law, e-tax, e-school, online voting, x- road data layer and Telliskivi Loomelinnak Transformation Project. Smart projects realized by Singapore are Lab on Wheels and SkillsFuture programs, HealthHub, OneService, SafeEntry, MyTransport.SG mobile apps, Auto Rider Autonomous Tool and 3D printing center. The main purpose of the study is to make a comparative evaluation on the projects developed by identifying smart or digital applications realized in Singapore and Estonia. In the study, the case study method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used.

Keywords

Smart city, Smart country, Estonia, Singapore, Smart city policy

Akıllı Ülke Deneyimlerinin Karşılaştırılması: Estonya ve Singapur Örnekleri

Abstract

Teknolojik gelişmelere paralel olarak kentler hızlı bir dönüşüm sürecine girmiştir. Bu dönüşümle birlikte, kentte yaşayanların talepleri ve beklentileri de sürekli güncellenmiştir. Yöneticilerin, politika üretim sürecine bakış açısı, vatandaşlar ile kurduğu ilişki, paydaşları karar mekanizmalarına katma süreci ve hizmet sunum biçimi değişimlerden bazılarıdır. Kentlerde yaşanan bu değişim ve dönüşümün yansıması olarak akıllı kent kavramı son yıllarda popüler tartışma konusu haline gelmiştir. Bağımsızlığını 1991 yılında kazanan Estonya, gerek blok zincir teknolojisini kullanarak gerekse dijital vatandaşı oluşturmaya yönelik çalışmalar yürüterek başarı sağlamıştır. Asya kıtasının en güneyinde yer alan, doğal kaynaklar yönünden fakir olan ancak günümüzde dünyanın önemli ticaret merkezi konumunda bulunan Singapur örnek bir dijital dönüşüm performansı sergilemiştir. Bu yönüyle bu iki ülke incelemeye değer örnek olarak seçilmiştir. Estonya’nın ve Singapur’un nasıl bir dijital dönüşüm yaşadığı ve kısa sürede gerçekleşen bu dönüşümde, diğer kentlere ilham olabilecek uygulamaların neler olduğu sorularına yanıtlar aranmıştır. Estonya’da, özelikle Tallinn kentinde, akıllı kentin akıllı ekonomi, akıllı hareketlilik, akıllı çevre, akıllı insan, akıllı yönetişim ve akıllı yaşam bileşenlerine yönelik olarak projeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Estonya’nın öne çıkan akıllı ve dijital projeleri arasında; temassız mobil ödeme, otonom araç, Üç Boyutlu Kentsel Bilgi Modeli, SmartEnCity Girişimi, dijital imza, mobil kimlik kartı, e-ikamet, DigiDoc, e-kabine, e-kanun, e-vergi, e-okul, çevrimiçi oylama, x-road veri katmanı ve Telliskivi Loomelinnak Dönüşüm Projesi yer almaktadır. Singapur’un gerçekleştirdiği akıllı projeler ise; Lab on Wheels ve SkillsFuture programları, HealthHub, OneService, SafeEntry, MyTransport.SG mobil uygulamaları, Auto Rider Otonom Aracı ve üç boyutlu baskı merkezidir. Çalışmanın temel amacı, Singapur ve Estonya’da gerçekleştirilen akıllı veya dijital uygulamaları saptayarak geliştirilen projeler üzerinden karşılaştırmalı değerlendirme yapmaktır. Çalışmada, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan örnek durum incelemesi yöntemi kullanılmıştır.

Keywords

Akıllı kent, Akıllı ülke, Estonya, Singapur, Akıllı kent politikası

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