Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) is prepared to push the creation of a smart city following the 2024 budget framework. The budget was distributed among three significant projects by the agency.
“Thank you to government entities for merging and pushing Thailand towards Thailand 4.0 as per the 20-year National Strategic Plan and pushing ahead with the mechanism for establishing a smart city. It is hoped that it will be an essential tool that enables government agencies and local government organisations to expand their capacity to be more efficient while also improving people’s lives and well-being,” said Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan as he presided over the first Smart City Development Steering Committee meeting for the year 2023.
First, the Smart City Promotion Zone Incubation Project. According to Asst. Prof. Dr Natthaphon Nimmanphatcharin, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, prepared the initiative for more developed areas that will accelerate operations to supported areas to construct smart city plans more quickly.
Second, the Livable Smart City Development Project targeted provinces having smart city designations. It will aid in areas that may successfully promote urban development and urban development initiatives under policies—the smart city project aimed to improve the modern liveability of Thai cities for equality and modernisation.
The project will include preparing municipal data, creating a city data platform (City Data Platform), and designing a National City Data Platform for safe data linkage and interchange. It also safeguards personal information and supports government, private, and local data. Data analysis in multiple aspects is included.
Third, the student project will be continued. The digital transformation of a new generation of cities Sending youngsters back to their homeland to help build it Make a new career path. Keep being a smart city by providing chances to youth and guiding the development of smart cities from city agencies as City Captains. The project intends to achieve concrete smart city development with the potential and viewpoint of youth ambassadors.
Aside from that, Thailand is planning to develop smart city services (Smart Solutions) that will focus on agricultural, health, and environmental development. In the objective area for government policy development, sustainable urban development aligns with ESG themes, particularly the environment (Environment), society (Social), and good governance (Governance). The initiative aligns with the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN), which includes Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Khon Kaen, Chonburi, and Rayong.
Furthermore, General Prawit highlighted the potential of youth as a critical engine in driving space through coordination between central and local areas for the rapid development of smart cities, including raising public awareness and understanding of digital skills. He believes that by upgrading their digital and critical abilities in urban development, creating a new professional path, and connecting the city to more complete access to digital services, youngsters will contribute to the growth of their community. Simultaneously, digital companies can access a more significant number of smart city users.
Thailand’s budget framework intended to push smart city development in 2024 and asked for the request framework for provincial projects submitted through the integrated regional and local development promotion plan.
The provinces and the local group submitted budget requests totalling more than 1.4 billion baht (US$39,81 million) in response to the above milestones. Ministry of Digital Affairs by depa, requesting an allocation of 5,935 million baht (US$168,75 million) in the fiscal year 2024 to support the development of a smart city, consisting of smart city incubation zones Livable Smart City Development Project and urban development projects by policies.
