Several Caribbean countries have recognised the potential of smart city and smart island concepts, but nearly a decade on, they seem to have made very little progress. In this article, we discuss key challenges that Caribbean countries face in trying to create smart cities.
It has been nearly a decade since Caribbean countries started to set the goal of becoming smart cities. Some countries were more vocal than others, but The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and the Turks and Caicos Islands either started to implement (or had committed to implementing) smart city, or smart city-adjacent initiatives, which seemed to have fallen silent. It is not readily known whether the projects or programmes were completed and whether the desired outcomes and impact were achieved.
These days and to a considerable degree, the focus on creating smart cities is not what it used to be. However, it is still a worthwhile goal, as ultimately, it is a true manifestation of the digital transformation of the countries, with technology being integrated into urban infrastructure to improve efficiency, sustainability, and quality of life. However, at the best of times, it is a mammoth undertaking to coordinate, upgrade and integrate all of the areas that must be addressed. It thus may not be surprising that most Caribbean countries have not achieved any significant progress to date; but at the same time, we perhaps ought to ask, “Why?”
Building a smart city
A smart city is built upon several interconnected pillars. Although they will be outlined separately, their interconnectedness is crucial to having a smart city and realising its benefits.
First, a robust and reliable digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet, is essential and is the backbone of a smart city, as it facilitates data collection, analysis, and communication. Second, all of that data must be managed; hence effective collection, storage, and analysis of data from various sources is crucial as it is required to inform decision-making and service delivery. Third, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensors, and AI must be integrated into urban systems so that the monitoring and control of infrastructure, traffic, and public services in real time can be achieved. Fourth, efficient and transparent governance is essential for successful smart city implementation. Governance structures ought to include clear policies, regulations, and public-private partnerships. Fifth citizen engagement, that is, the active participation of citizens is also a vital component and should include providing platforms for feedback, co-creation of solutions, and capacity-building programmes to foster their involvement. Finally, environmental sustainability should also be a priority. Hence, reducing the country’s carbon footprint, and implementing better waste management and environmentally friendly practices, among other areas, should be addressed.
Developing each of these pillars requires considerable planning and investment. However, they must also be designed and implemented in a way that facilitates their integration to create something grander than the individual pillars themselves: a smart city.
Key challenges for Caribbean countries
While the potential benefits of smart cities are immense, developing countries, and those in the Caribbean region in particular, face several significant challenges. Limited financial resources and still underdeveloped infrastructure would be among the biggest limitations. Unfortunately, these tend to be perennial shortcomings, since securing the necessary investment to improve infrastructure, which would not be limited to telecoms and ICT but would also include the power grid, and to deploy some of the newer and relevant (smarter) technologies, have hindered the take-up and use of digital services across the region, and consequently, has resulted in the widening of the digital divide.
It is also important to highlight that most developing countries may not readily possess the capacity to properly develop and manage a comprehensive smart city project. Though it could be argued that international consultants can be secured to assist with the design and planning, often, their advice would be informed by the success and experiences realised in developed countries, which may not be fully relevant or appropriate for developing countries, and more so the Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean region.
Further, no matter how comprehensive or robust a plan might be, failure often happens during implementation. A marked deficiency of many major projects in the region is weak governance. Projects are not rigorously managed, and often, there are accusations of corruption, cost overruns, shoddy work, and non-performance though payments were made.
Additionally, coupled with weak governance, there tend to be bureaucratic hurdles, which can slow down the procurement process and project execution. It is thus not uncommon for project outputs, though satisfying the approved Terms of Reference, to no longer be aligned with the requirements on the ground, and consequently, no longer relevant or effective. In other words, our precedent of weak governance could adversely affect and limit the success of smart city initiatives.
Finally, we ought to also appreciate that implementing a comprehensive smart city project will require a broad range of advanced ICT skills and capabilities, which may not be readily resident in-country. Though, once again, there is the option to procure the requisite technical expertise externally, the capacity still needs to be developed at home to, at the very least, competently maintain the systems that have been implemented. There is thus a human resource development component that is often overlooked but also requires cogent planning and management.
Overcoming these challenges
Without a doubt, Caribbean countries face a distinct set of challenges in their pursuit of smart city development. However, to overcome these challenges, they need to: prioritise digital infrastructure development; invest in human capital; foster public-private partnerships; and develop robust and effective governance structures. By carefully addressing these challenges and leveraging the potential of smart city technologies, the Caribbean region can improve the lives of its citizens, enhance urban sustainability, and build more resilient, competitive and smarter cities.
Image credit: fanjianhua (Freepik)
