Rebecca (Ms Rebecca Choy Yung, Chair of SES Organising Committee),

Ilex (Dr Ilex Lam, Chair of SES @ Central and Western District),

Distinguished guests and friends,

Good afternoon.

Thank you for inviting me here today. I’m honoured to have the opportunity to speak with you all, and to explore the future of cities together with experts and leaders in the field.

The idea of the smart city certainly excites the imagination. Things that were once the stuff of science fiction, such as autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and connected devices, are not only technologically feasible in the present day, but some have even become integral to living and thriving in the urban environment.

Here in Hong Kong, we are witnessing first-hand the transformative impact of digital technology on our city’s convenience, liveability, and efficiency. Taking public transportation and paying for goods simply requires a tap with an Octopus card, while the digitalisation of public services has also gathered pace in recent years, especially since the pandemic.

As the Government’s Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0 makes clear, integrating digital technology into everyday life is inextricably tied to the sustainable, long-term development of Hong Kong.

We at the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) recognise the power of digital technology to bring major and positive transformations to the fabric of urban life. But in our quest to make our city smarter, it’s important to remember that technology is not neutral. Just as innovations can improve convenience for some, they can also unintentionally cause the exclusion of others.

Take the example of the self-serving kiosks that are now a common sight in restaurants. While these machines make ordering food smoother and faster for many of us, they can create barriers for individuals with visual impairment to eat in restaurants.

So, how can we avoid the trappings of what some scholars have called “inadvertent exclusion” as we work towards bringing our vision of a smart city to life? An exclusive focus on innovation and adopting the latest and greatest tech will only get us so far. Instead of approaching this as a purely technical challenge, there is a more fundamental question we need to answer first: who are we building the smart city for?

Now, think back to the last time you saw a mock-up or promotional image of a smart city-related technology. What did the people in those images look like? Chances are that they were relatively young and with no visibly identifiable disabilities. Such implicit bias etched into how we envision the future of urban life will inevitably shape the city we build.

Broadening the way we imagine and build smart cities will require collaboration across sectors. At the EOC, we believe that the principles of universal design, which include equitable use, flexibility, and intuitiveness, provide a solid focal point to guide the development of Hong Kong forward. Aside from improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities, the user-centric concept can also help us create facilities, services, and technologies that work for everyone at various stages of life.

Last October, we published a guide on universal design for the catering sector as the start of our campaign to bring its core ideas into the mainstream. Dining out is an essential everyday activity, yet many restaurants in Hong Kong are inadequately equipped to serve individuals with diverse needs.

While the guide offers mostly practical tips on the arrangement and design of the physical environment, our subsequent engagement with stakeholders led to discussions about bringing the ideas of universal design into the digital sphere. Beyond standard digital accessibility measures, such as enlarging font sizes and using stronger colour contrasts for digital menus, we also heard innovative ideas on ways to improve the readability of the menus at different times of the day, by employing images to supplement text on digital devices, and enhancing the accessibility of digital payment services. Crucially, these solutions would improve the dining experience for not just individuals with disabilities, but also make eating out more convenient for all customers.

The vibrant discussions that followed the publication of the guide are very enlightening, and we want to expand the scope to include more sectors in the dialogue. Earlier this month, we launched the first-ever Universal Design Award Scheme in Hong Kong, inviting organisations and business to share best practices in their respective fields, including shopping malls, offices, restaurants, recreational facilities, and revitalised sites. Through the scheme, we hope to gather the most innovative implementations of universal design in our city, bring marginalised voices to the forefront in the imagination of public spaces, and enlist more allies to transform the urban environment. We are accepting applications until 15 April and I want to take this opportunity to encourage all of you here to help us spread the word or even submit an application for your organisation.

Alongside the sharing of best practices and engaging in dialogue across sectors, research is another tool we need to make extensive use to ensure the smart city we are building improves the lives of everyone. Specifically, we need more systematic data and research on how digital technologies affect different communities. The EOC has conducted or funded various projects in this area in the past, including the effects of online learning on students with special education needs and the digital accessibility of public organisation websites, and we will continue to monitor changes in society as new technologies emerge. One area we are currently focusing on is the impact of the digital divide on the social wellbeing of ethnic minorities. Many smart city initiatives and policies still focus on the Chinese majority in Hong Kong, which in turn could further exacerbate the exclusion of ethnic minorities. The findings from this research will help us devise policy solutions that promote integration and ensure individuals from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds can reap the rewards of the digital economy.

Diversity rather than homogeneity, inclusion rather than exclusion, and opportunities for all instead of benefits for the few – these values need to be at the forefront as we advance the digital capabilities of goods, facilities, and services in our everyday lives. By considering the needs of disadvantaged groups in our community and seeing the urban environment from their perspectives, we can build a smart city that truly benefits everyone.

Thank you once again for inviting me here today, and I wish the event a great success.