The Penang Island City Council has released a smart city study report that proposes various upgrades to support planning and municipal services on Penang island. The report, known as the MBPP Smart City Action Plan 2030, outlines plans for building-efficiency upgrades, integrated flood monitoring, and urban data platforms.
The plan starts with council-owned buildings as demonstration projects for smart energy and water meters, indoor air-quality monitoring, accessibility improvements, and refurbishment works. These requirements will then be extended to new developments and major renovations. They propose to implement smart metering requirements for new buildings by the fourth quarter of 2026 and public-building retrofits by the fourth quarter of 2028.
Building Performance and Flood Resilience
The building programme will use guidelines, planning conditions, and incentives to encourage improvements in energy, water, and environmental performance. Other proposals include an electric vehicle infrastructure master plan, additional space for public chargers, solar installations on public buildings, and accessibility upgrades to priority public facilities.
The report also proposes an integrated disaster and climate resilience monitoring platform to support early detection, risk assessment, and coordinated responses. This platform will include flood and climate sensors, a real-time risk dashboard, and early-warning alert systems. They propose to install flood and climate sensors by the second quarter of 2027 and early-warning alert systems by the first quarter of 2029.
Connecting Planning Data and City Operations
A proposed urban observatory will consolidate information on population, housing, land use, infrastructure, mobility, and environmental conditions. The study report lists the integration of spatial, socio-economic, and infrastructure datasets by the third quarter of 2027, followed by a public analytics and open-data portal by the second quarter of 2028.
The smart command centre initiative will use digital twins to monitor conditions and test responses to traffic congestion, flooding, and utility disruptions. Priority models for traffic, floods, and utilities are scheduled for the first quarter of 2029. The proposals build on existing systems, including the Virtual Island of Penang platform and the council’s Intelligent Operation Centre.
Mobility and Delivery Responsibilities
The study report proposes adaptive traffic signal controls by the second quarter of 2027 and artificial intelligence-based congestion and incident detection by the second quarter of 2028.
The report also proposes a Smart City Steering Committee for strategic oversight, a Smart City Management Office for central coordination, and department-led working groups responsible for projects, budgets, and operational performance. They propose a monitoring framework that includes monthly operational reporting, quarterly management reviews, and publication of selected dashboard indicators quarterly or annually.
State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said the statewide blueprint covers seven sectors: Smart People, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart Government, Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, and Smart Digital Infrastructure. The council’s action plan focuses on municipal service efficiency, mobility management, digital infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and community well-being.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow launched the plans alongside Penang’s statewide Smart City Blueprint 2040, saying they would strengthen data and technology integration and translate smart city aspirations into initiatives addressing residents’ needs. The detailed proposals are set out in the publicly available study report, which provides a roadmap for the development of a smart city on Penang island. According to local reports, the council’s action plan is a key component of the statewide blueprint.
They propose to implement a range of initiatives, including smart metering requirements, integrated flood monitoring, and urban data platforms.