Smart and Just: A Human Centered City

Abstract

“Smart City” is not about infrastructures or technology, but about human wisdom and resilience in dealing with the multitude of ideological, social, and environmental issues at present and towards the future. Brand of a city shall emerge from within itself, and cannot be imposed artificially from outside. Therefore, understanding the cultural and morphological “DNA” of the city in both intangible and tangible sense, accumulated over its historical timeline, is essential for a long-lasting branding. Con- temporarily, apart from rapid economic and physical developments in our Asian cities including HCMC, to remain true to the city’s authentic identity becoming more challenging and difficult. By right the “branding” and “smartness” of a contemporary and a futuristic city shall be dedicated to the people who are living, working, playing, and dreaming in it, and not being used or abused for a mere economic or political gains. This keynote paper will focus on the fundamentals values and principles of a smart and just city, and will suggest a systematic approach to preserve the authenti ity of the past, and at the same time to manage changes and developments harmoniously into the future.