Are Smart Cities ‘Sustainable?’ Revisiting the ‘Helix Model’ of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network

Abstract

Recent urban planning in Southeast Asia has incorporated the theme of transforming cities to 'smart city' status. However, the central question raised in this study is whether the ASEAN's conception of smart cities is genuinely sustainable. Based on the backdrop of Southeast Asia's disparity in economic performances and diversity in its political, social, economic, and environmental dimensions, this study updates Crumpton's 2021 study on the 'quintuple helix model' and argues that new observations but old patterns are found in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network's way of developing cities in Southeast Asia. Through a qualitative document analysis, utilizing published secondary data on the ten ASEAN member states between 2020 and 2024, this study revisits and updates the current state of Southeast Asia and how this corresponds to the challenges of constructing smart cities in democratic, semi-authoritarian, and authoritarian settings.

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