Motivations for smart city development are shifting – from excitement over what digital technologies have to offer to a more thoughtful consideration of how these technologies can be put to work to improve the lives of citizens. To ensure a sustainable future, cities must put liveability at the heart of development and investment plans.

To track citizens' opinions on top priorities for smart city development going forward, KPMG China, in association with CLP Holdings, JOS, Siemens, Smart City Consortium and Wilson Group, recently launched a new report entitled Connected Cities: Citizen insights across Asia Pacific.

The report features findings from a survey of 4,192 residents in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seoul, Shanghai, and Singapore, seeking residents' opinions on the development areas most important to them as well as what benefits they expect as their cities become 'smarter'. Key focus areas include transportation and mobility, building a future-focused workforce, living environment, healthcare, energy and resources and the impact of technology.

During this morning's talk, a KPMG Partner, Marcos Chow will share our Connected Cities report highlights, followed by a panel discussion on the following topics:

• The current state of smart city development in the five cities surveyed as well as key differentiators and best practices.
• Hong Kong's progress in six areas: smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart people, smart government and smart economy, as well as next steps.
• How can we apply technology to improve Hong Kong's living environment and better manage the city's energy and resources to build a more sustainable future.
• Other recent trends in smart city development.