Songdo in South Korea is a showcase project when it comes to smart cities, writes the Handelszeitung in an article. China, too, has more and more projects for cities of the future. But there, there is too strong a focus on monitoring. In Switzerland, the situation is different: human subordination to technology as is the case in Songdo is not part of the plan, Benjamin Szemkus, program manager of Smart City Switzerland, told the Handelszeitung.

Nascent smart cities in Switzerland include Zurich, Basel and Geneva. Smart City Switzerland projects should focus primarily on energy and are strong connected to the concept of what are called ‘energy cities’, explained Szemkus.

The Energy City (Energiestadt) label is awarded by the Federal Office of Energy to municipalities with a sustainable energy policy. In this context, a smart city is seen as a further step or development in which the situation with regard to efficiency and sustainable resource use is improved by means of technological networking.

“We are far more advanced in Swiss cities than we give ourselves credit for thanks in part to the widespread energy management systems of the Energy City concept,” said Szemkus.

According to the article, around 400 cities and towns have been awarded the Energy City label since 1991. But unlike other countries, Switzerland lacks an outstanding showcase project.