The HKUST GREAT Smart Cities Institute was established in 2018 to serve as a broad platform where large-scale projects and interdisciplinary collaborations can come together to advance the underlying science and technology for developing smart cities in Hong Kong and beyond.
Mission & Vision
We strive to be a world-class hub for smart city innovation, transforming Hong Kong into a living blueprint for resilient, sustainable, and tech-empowered urban life that inspires cities across the globe. We achieve this by advancing cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, educating next-generation urban leaders, and collaborating with government and industry partners to translate technology into real-world city solutions.
The GREAT Framework
The Institute pivots around five “GREAT” attributes of smart cities – Green, Resilient, Empowering, Adaptable, and Transformative.
GREEN – Cities planned with due consideration for life-cycle environmental impacts, natural resource consumption (e.g., air, water, energy, and materials), and waste generation and treatment.
RESILIENT – Cities developed with infrastructure capacities and system redundancies to manage disruptions without severely affecting their essential functioning.
EMPOWERING – Cities designed for people, empowering well-being, efficiency, innovation, and productive partnerships.
ADAPTABLE – Cities designed with their infrastructure and systems adaptable to changes in new technology (e.g., autonomous vehicles) and global warming.
TRANSFORMATIVE – Cities designed to empower their institutions and citizens to define and reposition their growth directions and strategies.