Vice Mayor Charles Lin was invited to represent Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City government at the Second Quarter-2024 Regular National Executive Board Meeting of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) last month in Manila.
In his keynote, Lin discussed the topic: “People-Oriented Smart Cities: The Experience of Kaohsiung City” that highlighted recent efforts and successes in developing a smart city and its urban transformation. At the event, he exchanged insights on urban governance with local vice mayors and officials nationwide.
The vice mayor was invited to the Regular National Executive Board Meeting by the Center for Local and Regional Governance at the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance and the VMLP.
Lin was the first Taiwanese representative invited to speak at the meeting, where he delivered a presentation on smart cities, net-zero emissions, and urban governance. He suggested ways cities can promote digital and smart transformation, enhancing the government officials’ knowledge and implementation abilities.
Kaohsiung’s geographical and climatic conditions are similar to those of the Philippines, as both face similar challenges in urban governance. Lin explained how smart transformation can boost governance efficiency and address municipal issues.
By integrating technology into public services, he said the government can “do more with less” by enhancing public-service quality and efficiency for citizens. Kaohsiung’s successes in traffic management, smart agriculture, water management, reclaimed water, and health care impressed the city representatives in attendance, who expressed deep interest in establishing closer ties with and visiting Kaohsiung.
In his sharing on net-zero initiatives and governance, Lin focused on making Kaohsiung efficient and livable. He shared examples like solar-panel installations, the light-rail circle, the undergrounding of the city’s train station, the preservation of the old rail depot, Love River remediation, the Kaohsiung Railway Workshop transformation, signature parks, social housing, and harbor area redevelopment.
Vice mayors in attendance took photos of Kaohsiung’s achievements on their smartphones during the speech and exchanged views with Lin on topics such as light rail, Kaohsiung Station experiences, rapid solar-panel deployment, and others. Participants shared that the cases inspired them to develop more smart strategies on city governance in the future.
During the question-and-answer session, those present asked how Kaohsiung enables its citizens to engage in agriculture smartly and conveniently, as well as how various modes of vehicles are integrated into single interface and provide users with real-time, intelligent transportation information. Several cities also expressed their desire to visit the Taiwanese city and learn from its experience to accelerate their own urban transformation.
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Quelle/Source: Business Mirror, 11.07.2024
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