Singapore Poised to Change How Large Cities Operate

Singapore is advertising (literally, this is from paid content on CNN) itself as the country best positioned to turn itself into a “Smart Nation.” According to the ad campaign by the city-state, big data, analytics and next-gen sensor networks will change how big cities operate, and Singapore will lead the charge. It’s hard not to agree given the list of bullet points the ad proffers to readers about how advanced the small nation is:

According to the 2016 Global Innovation Index, Singapore is Asia’s most innovative economy.

Singapore was ranked as the world’s top network-ready country in 2015 by The World Economic Forum

Singapore is the world’s fastest broadband nation according to Ookla, and was ranked the top and fastest-changing digital economy by Tufts University.

Global multinationals such as P&G, Nielsen, DuPont, GM and ADM continue to make Singapore an important part of their global innovation strategies, attracted by Singapore’s proximity to Asian markets and the ability to tap into the region’s future growth.

Singapore was ranked third out of 50 global cities for having a “future-ready economy”—i.e. having the right infrastructure and technology to serve people and grow businesses. That’s behind the Californian cities of San Jose and San Francisco, but above the likes of London, Sydney and New York.

Singapore hosts regionally significant innovation events that help develop the innovation culture by providing ideas and inspiration to startups, as well as means for them to source funding and market their products.

Singapore is advertising its efforts at fostering high tech innovation within the city:

A notable example is the distinctive Blocks 71, 73 and 79 development just outside the city, which house Singapore’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem including prototyping labs, start-ups, accelerator boot camps, venture capital firms and incubators. Successful projects include biotech incubator The BioFactory and Exploit Technologies, the technology commercialisation arm of government research agency A*STAR.

Indeed, Singapore has created an ideal environment for the start-up industry: it makes a clear effort to reduce many of the logistical barriers associated with starting a business, including minimizing time to incorporation.