Wangchan Valley a trailblazer for urban life under Thailand 4.0 policy
The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) in cooperation with PTT Plc, developer of the pilot smart city “Wangchan Valley”, recently invited the new generation of city developers to visit the project located in Wangchan district of Rayong province to gain hands-on experience of smart city development.
The project lies in the heart of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
“Smart city” is a term we have probably heard quite frequently in recent times. It is a concept that Thailand is embracing under the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy, which focuses on utilising digital technology to improve the quality of life of people.
Wangchan Valley, also known as Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation Project, is a pilot initiate of PTT Pcl and the National Science and Technology Development Agency on 3,454 rai (approximately 553 hectares) of land in Rayong province since early 2021. Wangchan Valley uses seven smart city concepts certified by Depa to develop the city as one of the best smart cities offering an innovation ecosystem in Southeast Asia.
Passakon Prathombutr, executive vice president at Depa, said: “City developers need to understand all aspects of urban setting, be they the people, the community, their way of life and the unique identity of each city. This is the origin of our project to create “Smart City Ambassadors”, or new generation city developers who have hands-on experience in city development with focus on the use of digital technology.”
“After completing the tour, these ambassadors will be able to adapt new technologies to their own projects as well as come up with innovative ways of improving urban life quality,” he added.
Passakon added that the uniqueness of Wangchan Valley, which makes it exemplary as a smart city, is that it is based on seven smart city concepts certified by Depa. They are: smart environment, smart mobility, smart people, smart living, smart economy, smart governance, and smart energy.
“Wangchan Valley aims to be a pilot smart city that helps convert Thailand’s traditional industry into the new target industry, or new S-Curve, under the Thailand 4.0 national strategy, and to help improve both economy and quality of life through innovation, knowledge and technology,” he added.
