High-rise smart buildings with energy-efficient designs, residential houses with solar panels and green roofs, electric vehicles (EVs), including buses and cars, are among the common representations of a smart city.

Digital dashboards or control centers installed for city monitoring, smart traffic lights, digital road signage, street light sensors, and automated trash bins, are also associated with the term ‘smart city’.

But what does a smart city really look like, based on the designated smart communities in the country?

However, according to an official from the city government of Santiago, Isabela, translating research and developing it into actual products and services are also key components to be labeled as a smart city.

Planning Officer Jonathan S. Uy said that the results of these studies should be used to address certain problems in a community such as, for example, in disaster and risk management, health, transportation and even in energy.

Santiago City, Isabela is one of the 29 nominated cities for the Philippine Smart and Sustainable Communities (SSC) Award 2025, launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to recognize the unwavering efforts of local government units (LGUs) in developing their communities by integrating science, technology and innovation.

“Nare-recognize yung initiatives namin specific doon sa technology na ginagamit namin for mapping lalo na yung GIS and also yung data management na ginagamit namin and then yung translation into specific plans, programs and activities using digital technology,” Uy said in a chance interview with DOST.

Aside from the Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and data management efforts of Santiago, Uy said that the inauguration of the new Research and Innovation for Sustainable Empowerment Center or RISE-C in the city is the most crucial part of their efforts in developing Santiago City into a smart community.

According to Isabela State University (ISU) Santiago campus (the partner academe of Santiago City), this center is desired to be a dynamic hub for interdisciplinary research, technology, and innovation which aims to empower faculty, students, and partner agencies to address real-world challenges in areas such as smart agriculture, climate action, public health, education, and disaster resilience.

Smart technologies and their impact to citizens

Moreover, the LGU of Prieto Diaz in Sorsogon is also making its significant contribution in enhancing its disaster risk management and improving its preparedness as one of the vulnerable areas for Tsunami.

“Bilang bayan na delikado talaga sa Tsunami, naka face kasi kami sa Pacific Ocean, na kung saan andoon yung Philippine trench. Approximately nasa 150 kilometers kami mula sa Philippine trench na maaring mag generate ng tsunami,” Rafael Ryan D. Bayoca, Head of Prieto Diaz DRRM said in an interview.

Prieto Diaz is also nominated to the Philippine SSC Award 2025.

Aside from their efforts in disaster risk management to protect its community, Prieto Diaz has also made significant impact in promoting human wellbeing for its residents, especially the children.

To improve the nutritional status of undernourished children in their community, Prieto Diaz implemented a feeding program using the coco product technology of DOST and the locally innovated soya milk product.

According to Municipal Nutrition Action Officer Fernando B. Detecio, of the 100 undernourished children being studied, 85 percent improved their nutrition status.

Because of these initiatives, Prieto Diaz was recognized as the best CEST Community in the regional level last year which is critical to their nomination for the SSC Award this year.

What’s a smart city?

As defined by the DOST, ‘smart city’ is a community that leverages technology and innovation to enhance urban functionality, sustainability, and livability, making it more responsive to its inhabitants. 

It added that a smart city uses Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to improve the quality of life for citizens, enhance service delivery, foster a competitive economy, and promote a sustainable environment.

In 2022, DOST has adopted a broader framework, like the "Expanded Framework on the Development of Smart, Resilient, and Sustainable Cities and Communities" to guide its smart city development efforts. 

Drafted by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), the framework emphasizes key indicators of a smart and sustainable community. 

This includes economic opportunity; education; environmental quality; water and wastewater; energy; finance; governance; health and living recreation; safety, security, and resilience; infrastructure; transport and mobility; urban planning; and empowerment and inclusion.

The prime model of a smart city

To provide a better appreciation of what a smart city is let us try to look back in history. In 2015, Cauayan City in Isabela was declared as the first ‘smart city’ in the Philippines.

Sources across the web show that the city has implemented various digital solutions to improve traditional networks and services, benefiting both citizens and businesses such as the installation of free Wi-Fi in 65 barangays, a Citizen ID system, a dedicated city app, and a Digital Farmers Program.

Just like Santiago and Cauayan City, there are other cities in the country who are working on improving their communities.

According to DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, about 91 LGUs are already enrolled in the Smart and Sustainable Communities Program (SSCP) of the DOST, and around 10-15 cities are in the waiting list. This number exceeds the agency’s target number of 80 LGUs.

Moreover, a survey conducted by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and World Bank in 2023 showed that 70 percent of the 115 urban LGUs are preparing for smart city development, 61 percent have ongoing smart city initiatives, and 56 percent have established policies to support the said development.

“Now, ang kagandahan dito, in this iSCENE, hindi lamang ito yung exhibition, conduct of fora at hindi lamang ito yung memorandum of agreement. But more important part and something that is of great value is yung networking. Dito kasi nagkikita yung let’s say academe, industry experts, researchers, scientists and engineers and they not only engage but they mingle, and they connect. And at the end of the day, ang importante dito yung way forward,” Mabborang said.

Organized in the Philippines, International Smart City Exposition and Networking Engagement (iSCENE) aims to serve as a platform to bring local chief executives, government leaders, industries and business players together for knowledge-sharing, connection and network-building for the promotion and implementation of innovative solutions that would be instrumental for the creation of smarter and sustainable communities in the country.

“Reflecting on iSCENE’s journey, I am in awe of how far we’ve come. When we first launched iSCENE, our goal was simple yet bold: to create a space where we could come together, regardless of our backgrounds, to explore what it means to build a truly smart community. A community that thrives on technology, inclusivity, and sustainability—principles that are not just ideals, but real practices in shaping everyday life. Three years later, iSCENE is no longer just a concept—it’s a national benchmark and a regional beacon for innovation-driven governance and community development,” Sec. Solidum said.

The International Smart City Exposition and Networking Engagement (iSCENE), an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions, Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Claire Bernadette A. Mondares, DOST-STII)