Smart Cities Are Not Necessarily Friendly for All Their Citizens

The concept of a ‘smart city’ has become a new prestige project for many local governments in Indonesia. However, behind the technological sophistication, a fundamental question remains: who truly benefits? The government’s Smart City Movement programme outlines a broad vision encompassing smart governance, economy, and public services, yet the reality often falls short. Technology is frequently mistaken as the end goal, rather than a tool to improve services for all citizens. The rapid pace of urbanisation, with projections indicating a significant population increase in cities by 2045, adds urgency to the need for efficient urban management. Several cities like Jakarta have implemented systems such as real-time flood monitoring and electric bus fleets, but a major digital divide persists. Many residents and even local officials lack the training to use new digital applications, and uneven internet infrastructure remains a significant obstacle. Furthermore, the substantial investment required for long-term operation and maintenance poses a challenge for many regional budgets. Without addressing these gaps, the ‘smart city’ label risks becoming a mere symbolic status rather than a transformation that genuinely improves the daily lives of all citizens, including those unfamiliar with digital technology.