DOI 10.60531/INSIGHTOUT.2024.2.8| LAI: SMART CITY TRANSITION_ INSIGHTOUT 2(2024)49Kong was one of the cities that had strict regulationsduring the Covid-19 pandemic era, enforced the usage of specific digital services that were only accessible by smartphone, and had numerous backlashesagainst the mandatory usage of digital services.12Now that the pandemic era has concluded, discussions have arisen on the indirect acceleration ofdigitalisation in society, but further studies are stillneeded to quantify the extent of this impact.13Thispaper investigates how smartphone-driven urbandigitalisation, particularly in smart mobility, impactsgender demographics.mobility is the first prioritised dimension of smartcity development according to the official smartcity development guidelines from the Hong Konggovernment(HKGOV). The official guideline clearly states the thirty-one initiatives under four smartmobility subgroups, which aim to promote environmentally friendly transportation, provide real-timetraffic information, enhance data analytics for traffic management, and promote a pedestrian-friendly environment.16In short, Hong Kong currently setssmart mobility goals to promote active travel andenhance the data collection system.Hong Kong’s developmentwithin the current global smartmobility trendHong Kong can be considered to demonstratethe best practice of transit-oriented developmentthanks to its well-established heavy rail systems.14The unique self-sustaining model“Rail plus Property” contributes to the low usage cost, thus maintaining the high ridership of the railway system.15Inaddition, the Octopus System, a widely-praised mobility-related technology in Hong Kong, also assiststhe prosperity of public transport development inHong Kong. Being the first contactless smart cardsystem in the world, the Octopus Card simplifies theticketing of public transport with its rechargeablecontactless stored value features, and over 95 percent of Hong Kong’s citizens use Octopus Cards fordaily travel.7Due to the exceptional performanceof the public transport system in Hong Kong, smartHong Kong’s public transport is well recognised, butits smart mobility is lagging behind in comparison.The Urban Mobility Readiness Index pointed out theunderperformance of Hong Kong in autonomoustransit and shared mobility, which is largely enabledby mobile apps.17The Cities in Motion Index, anevaluation system of smart city development thatis deemed reliable,6highlighted mobility as a sluggish dimension in Hong Kong.18In addition, the IMDSmart City Index acknowledged the deficient performance of Hong Kong by confirming the persisting traffic congestion issue, which could be betterreduced by mobility technologies via mobile apps.19This paper will thus deduce the gender differencesin the usage of smartphone-based mobility services(SBMS), offering an exploratory insight to enablethe next breakthrough in mobility development.12J. Ma,“No smartphone, no entry? Isolated by Covid-19 rules, Hong Kong’s elderly dread changes to‘Leave Home Safe’ mobile app”,South China Morning Post,17 Jul. 2022. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3185531/no-smartphone-no-entry-isolated-covid-19-rules(accessed 12 Apr. 2024).13Q. Liu et al.,“Smartphone-Based Services, Perceived Accessibility, and Transport Inequity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A CrossLagged Panel Study”,Transportation research. Part D, Transport and environment, 97(2021), 102941.14B. P. Loo, C. Chen and E. T. Chan,“Rail-Based Transit-Oriented Development: Lessons from New York City and Hong Kong”,Landscape and Urban Planning, 97/3(2010), 202–212.15F. Jauregui-Fung,Land Value Capture and Transit Oriented Development as a Way of Funding Railway Systems: The Case of HongKong Rail+ Property Model(Bonn, 2022).16Office of the Government Chief Information Officer,Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0(Hong Kong, 2020).17Oliver Wyman Forum,Urban Mobility Readiness Index 2022(Berkeley, 2023).18IESE Business School,Cities in Motion Index 2022(Madrid, 2022).19IMD World Competitiveness Center,IMD Smart City Index 2023(Lausanne, 2023).
