The Vision of Smart Cities
Tauhid Nur Azhar
This morning, I woke up right on time for the Subuh adzan, which echoed through the crisp 14°C air, ideal for snuggling back under the warm blanket. However, a message in the WA group “Forum Prakarsa” kept me alert. The message contained a teaser about today’s discussion topic at the PAU ITB auditorium regarding smart cities.
The ultimate vision for the future of citizen-oriented smart cities is to create sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban environments where technology enhances the quality of life for all residents. By focusing on trusted technology, adaptive solutions, community engagement, and sustainable practices, smart cities can become places where every citizen feels valued, secure, and connected to their environment. In this future, smart cities will not only be technologically advanced but also socially responsible, prioritizing human needs, environmental health, and ethical standards.
Wow… it’s truly fascinating to ponder and reflect on, isn’t it? The efforts to implement a smart city system aimed at realizing or actualizing a Trusted Society in a particular habitat or ecosystem-based urban area are truly inspiring. The continuous endeavor to create a living space, ecosystem, or digital biome that can generate urban dynamics centered on human well-being and accommodating noble human values has been consistently developed by the Smart City and Community Innovation Center ITB. One concrete outcome of this is the Garuda Smart City Framework.
By upholding the basic principles or technological foundations from Suhono’s teachings — Sensing, Understanding, Acting — the Garuda Smart City Framework aims to serve as a guide for developing an integrated smart city system. This system can enhance the quality of life for the community by providing public services, physical and social infrastructure, adaptive living spaces, environmental management with sustainable practices, and ensuring access to basic needs. This framework aims to create a sense of security and adaptability to local, regional, and global scale changes, ultimately contributing to the holistic well-being of the community.
Reflecting on the values of this smart city initiative makes me eager to dive back into the warmth of my blanket, the soft pillow, and the cozy atmosphere of my still-damp room, resonating with the rhythmic 4–8 Hz frequency waves in our brains. Suddenly, everything feels calm, peaceful, and I find myself drifting into a dream-like state.
In my dream, I find myself in the year 2045, becoming a virtual participant with a Point of View (PoV) of someone else. It feels like I’m watching a film or listening to an audiobook narrating the story of Garuda City, located between Kalimantan, Penajam Paser Utara, and Kutai Kertanegara, in NUSANTARA.
The year is 2045. Kalimantan has long been a global focus, but no longer as a victim of deforestation and natural resource exploitation. Now, Kalimantan, especially Nusantara, the new capital city of Indonesia, has transformed into a hub of culture and high technology, embodying the harmony between humans and nature. Nusantara is built with a clear vision: to create a smart, sustainable, and resilient city focused on its people, capable of addressing various future challenges.
Dyah Erowati, an ITB graduate now part of the independent city and coastal technology development team, stands before the central control tower of Nusantara. This tower is the heart and brain of Nusantara, housing AL-URBAN, an artificial intelligence system created by Dr. AL Barda. With its quantum-powered supercomputer and city-wide sensor network, AL-URBAN monitors and optimizes every aspect of urban life.
The theory of People-Centered Smart Cities, as advocated by experts, underpins the development of Nusantara. According to Carlo Ratti, a professor of urban studies at MIT, technology should build cities not just as tools of control but also as tools of empowerment for citizens. Dyah believes that AL-URBAN was designed with this principle in mind, but as part of her research team, she also understands that data integrity and technological transparency remain critical ethical challenges.
At the city’s core, Dyah observes various technologies that have become iconic features of Nusantara. Every corner of the city is filled with innovations that leverage renewable energy and focus on resource efficiency.
Some of the technologies that Dyah observes for the first time in this smart city include:
- Smart Sewage and Waste Processing: This waste management system converts the city’s wastewater into energy and organic fertilizer. Using bio-digestion and enzymatic technologies, wastewater collected in the sewage system is directed to various reservoirs around the city, producing biogas used for city lighting.
- Artificial Algae Ponds for CO2 Emissions: These ponds, made from bio-hybrid materials, are designed by environmental experts and use microalgae to absorb CO2 and produce oxygen. Based on research by Klaus Lackner at the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, these artificial ponds are 400 times more effective than natural ponds in carbon emission reduction.
- Piezoelectric Pedestrians and Kinetic Energy: The pedestrian walkways are equipped with piezoelectric technology that converts the kinetic energy of footsteps into electricity. The generated energy is distributed to nearby areas, reducing dependence on conventional energy sources.
- Public Hydrogen Transportation: Public transportation is highly automated and powered by hydrogen technology, developed by companies like Toyota and Hyundai. These vehicles operate without emissions, directly connected to the AL-URBAN navigation system to optimize routes and save energy.
As a city built in a tropical forest ecosystem, Nusantara maintains vast green areas. These forests serve as habitats for various protected species, cared for with love, such as the orangutans of Kalimantan, the Javan rhinoceros, and endemic birds like the black-winged starling and the helmeted hornbill.
“Hydrogen transportation in Nusantara reduces carbon emissions by more than 80% compared to conventional electric vehicles,” AL-URBAN explains through the screen, referencing data from the European Commission showing that hydrogen is one of the most environmentally friendly fuels. “Each vehicle is equipped with sensors connected to the central server to maximize route efficiency.”
Not only transportation but also the ecosystem living around the city. As part of an integrated system, this city is designed with artificial ponds based on microalgae that absorb CO2. These ponds, inspired by the work of Klaus Lackner, can absorb more than 100 tons of CO2 per year, comparable to a natural pond.
AL-URBAN plays a crucial role in managing this biodiversity. Using drones and sensors spread throughout the forests, the AI monitors wildlife conditions and endangered species populations in real-time, ensuring that populations remain stable. This technology is based on modern ecological principles, such as those advocated by Edward O. Wilson in the Half-Earth Project, where half of the Earth is designed as a habitat for wildlife to maintain global biodiversity.
To preserve the forests, AL-URBAN works with patrol drones equipped with thermal cameras and motion sensors. These drones patrol the forests, monitoring wildlife health and counting populations in real-time. This technology is based on the theory developed by Edward O. Wilson in the “Half-Earth Project,” where half of the Earth is designed as a wildlife habitat, creating robust and resilient ecological networks.
“Dyah,” AL-URBAN’s voice emerges again, “did you know that the biodiversity level around Nusantara has increased by 15% in the last five years? Conservation efforts have allowed us to identify endangered species earlier and provide better protection.”
Nusantara, located in a disaster-prone area, is equipped with advanced disaster prediction technology. This system integrates a network of seismometers, weather sensors, and geospatial data in the city’s control tower. With the support of supercomputers and AI, the city can detect potential earthquakes, floods, or forest fires earlier, enabling a quick response from the city’s emergency services and residents.
AL-URBAN uses deep learning technology to analyze weather patterns and tectonic movements. In a simulation conducted last year, this technology successfully predicted a potential forest fire with an accuracy of over 90%. Equipped with automated fire-extinguishing drones designed for early detection and fire control, the city can effectively prevent major disasters.
Dyah is impressed with the scale and sophistication of this system. This technology is inspired by the work of Stephen Pacala, who argues that AI-based mitigation strategies will play a significant role in climate adaptation in the future. With such technology, Dyah realizes that Nusantara is not just a smart city but also a resilient and highly adaptable one.
However, this seemingly perfect city harbors its own paradox. The Social Credit System implemented in Nusantara regulates citizen behavior, raising questions about privacy and individual freedom. Dyah feels a significant tension between the vision of a human-centered city and the strict social control mechanisms. As a technology expert, Dyah feels a heavy responsibility to ensure that this system remains transparent and ethical, aligning with the high values it upholds.
This system monitors citizen behavior based on daily habits and contributions to the environment. This social score significantly impacts citizens’ access to various city facilities, such as healthcare and public transportation.
“AL-URBAN,” Dyah asks with a serious tone, “how can the transparency of this system be ensured? Could this system risk invading citizens’ privacy?”
AL-URBAN responds calmly, “This system is designed to encourage responsible behavior and maintain our environmental balance. Data is collected and managed with the highest encryption, and citizens have full access to their scores and the reasons behind them. However, as we know, this still requires continuous oversight and collective agreement regarding transparency.”
The concept of Social Credit is rooted in the idea that a smart city must balance freedom and collective responsibility. However, Dyah continues to question whether this technology can maintain its integrity over time.
Dyah stands at the city’s edge, overlooking the vast tropical forest sprawling before her. The city of Nusantara embodies a dream of an ideal future, where technology and nature coexist harmoniously. However, behind this façade, she feels a responsibility to ensure that ethics and morality are upheld in every piece of technology present.
With a small sigh, Dyah feels optimistic. Nusantara may not be perfect yet, but she feels there is hope for building a sustainable, balanced, and ethical future. Alongside AL-URBAN and other citizens, Dyah is determined to continue contributing, ensuring that this smart city truly becomes a home for all, with justice, balance, and continuity as its foundation.
Suddenly, Dyah feels as if the Bekantan and Orang Utan are cheering her on, just as they did when she observed Dyah from the treetops of Meranti or Seraya, trees from the genus of about 194 species, and resembling the endemic tropical forest birds of the family Dipterocarpaceae. Named to honor Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793–1798. Gradually, Dyah feels awake, falling, and then landing with a thud, only to hear, “Wake up, it’s time for lunch, the food is still warm, it’s more delicious if eaten right away…” the following sentences are barely audible to her, as her ears are ringing, while her cheeks are being pinched.
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