Why are smart cities still helpless in the face of traffic jams?

(NLDO)- Many localities are promoting smart urban development by applying technology, but traffic jams and pollution have not yet been solved.

On October 30, UEH School of Technology and Design (CTD) in collaboration with UEH Mekong and other domestic and foreign units organized the National Scientific Conference on Technology and Design 2025 (NCTD 2025) with the theme "Shaping Vietnam's Digital Future".

At the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Trinh Tu Anh, Director of the Institute of Smart Cities and Management, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH), said that developing smart cities is an inevitable trend.

However, she pointed out a paradox that many localities, despite investing heavily in technology and management applications at a cost of billions of dong, have not yet completely solved problems such as traffic jams, environmental pollution or infrastructure overload.

The reason is not a lack of technology but a lack of a consistent human-centered smart city development strategy, a lack of appropriate priority goals, a lack of a common development framework and planning, and an over-focus on technology.

Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Tu Anh, Director of the Institute of Smart Cities and Management, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, pointed out the limitations in developing smart cities.

Currently, each locality operates in its own way, lacking a common vision and regional linkage, causing resources to be dispersed and making it difficult to create overall strength.

From practical experience, Ms. Tu Anh proposed building a co-creation platform, connecting infrastructure, data and planning, while respecting the characteristics of each region.

In the context of Ho Chi Minh City expanding its boundaries and becoming a megacity with large population and area, regional coordination and inter-urban connectivity become more urgent.

“Developing a smart city is not just about investing in digital infrastructure, but about creating an open, innovative ecosystem where the government, businesses and people participate in policy planning and feedback. Only then will a smart city truly be a living organism, not just a collection of expensive technologies,” said Ms. Trinh Tu Anh.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vi-sao-do-thi-thong-minh-van-bat-luc-truoc-ket-xe-196251030153319729.htm