Kish Island welcomes futuristic plans

‎‘The cities of the future’ is a key word that is heard these days, more than ever, ‎among experts, senior executives and planners.‎ However, to what extent is this issue important, and what features does it ‎incorporate? What is the difference between the future and present-day cities? What ‎capacities and capabilities will human beings have in these cities?‎ It is said that if the 20th century were the century of countries, the 21st century belongs to cities. The city of the future is a theme and concept similar in ‎meaning to the smart city. The creation of such cities would not be ‎possible in the absence of measures to, first, establish the requirements for such a ‎purpose. In the past few years, there has been a competition among countries ‎for the creation of developed, sustainable and functional cities, examples of ‎which are seen in countries such as the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, ‎the UAE and some other states.‎ The fact is that many of present-day cities across the globe are witnessing ‎asymmetrical growth due to population increase and ‎displacement, migration, as well as mass production and consumerism. ‎This situation has led to many consequences including global warming, ‎environmental degradation, reliance on nonrenewable energy resources, air, water ‎and soil pollution, traffic, a weakness in providing services, the emergence of ‎suburbanization, and a rise in poverty‏.‏‎ Immediate measures are ‎required to tackle these problems. Thus, there is no choice but to develop new ‎approaches in order to create cities free from numerous crises. The issue, called the ‎paradigm shift or changing paradigms, is presently at the center of attention more ‎than ever. ‎ Some of the world’s elites maintain that to have a better tomorrow, the roadmap for ‎the creation of smart cities in the entire world includes measures such as paying ‎greater attention to the element of knowledge as an inexhaustible wealth, ‎prioritizing putting creative and innovative minds to use, ‎promoting the methodical and synergistic use of scientific and research capacities, ‎and implementing diverse infrastructure and superstructure projects and, of course, ‎promoting the culture of using them optimally among the public. Thus, countries ‎that are creating smart and clean cities only publicize part of their ‎progress in this regard while keeping some of it under the radar. Among such states are ‎the US, which is implementing the Destiny, Florida project; China that is executing ‎a similar plan in Shenzhen; South Korea that is building the Songdo International ‎Business District; the UAE that is implementing the same project in Dubai and ‎building Masdar City in Abu Dhabi; as well as Japan and Singapore with similar ‎plans underway. ‎ There are a thousand and one reasons that our beloved Iran should be among the ‎pioneers in creating future cities, while keeping an eye on and incorporating its ‎cultural identity, to be able to rank among ‎influential countries, instead of those that are influenced by others, in the coming ‎decades. This process has already started in Iran thanks to the officials’ acumen and ‎the country’s undeniable scientific growth. Thus, this piece of writing is aimed at ‎stressing the need to accelerate this process.‎ The questions, however, are: Which region is more ‎appropriate for being a pioneer in terms of implementing such a mega project? ‎Where is the starting point? Where is the destination?‎ Such questions are meant to bring our good people the good news that Kish Island ‎‎[in the Persian Gulf] is a point of national consensus for the realization of the goal ‎of forming the Iranian city in the coming decades.‎ The factors that make Kish Island a more futuristic and appropriate region, ‎compared to other parts of the country, are ‎having a strong determination, a unified management, an empowered private ‎sector, an abundance of clean and renewable energies such as solar and ‎marine, a strategic position, a scarce environment, and, finally, the ‎availability of all necessary infrastructure as well as fiber optic networks for ‎activating the fifth generation of Internet connectivity, 5G, which is a basic and ‎necessary precondition and requirement for creating smart cities.‎ Digital cities are more environmentally-friendly compared to present-day large ‎cities. A proof to this claim is the fact that Kish Island has the highest per capita rate of bicycle use, compared to other cities of the country. Moreover, ‎the island is the most pedestrian-friendly place in Iran in addition to having the ‎longest cycle track in the Middle East. The combination of modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the ‎Internet of things, within the context of the fifth generation of Internet connectivity, ‎‎5G, can make it possible for the island to have thousands of new achievements, ‎among which is setting up an intelligent transportation system. ‎ It is a pleasure to announce that this new approach will be adopted for the first time on Kish Island as per a memorandum of understanding signed by the Vice Presidency for Science and ‎Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, the ‎Space Technology Development and Advanced Transportation Headquarters and ‎the Kish Free Zone Organization. ‎ The result of a study conducted recently at Harvard University on factors effective ‎in alleviating poverty showed that the time spent on moving from one place to ‎another is effective in helping individuals escape poverty more than any other ‎factor, such as the crime rate or access to good schools. According to the study, if walking or using public transportation is the fastest way for going from one ‎place to another, no citizen would feel underprivileged and poor for not having a ‎car. On Kish Island innovation and entrepreneurship are valued more than any other ‎place in the country. The establishment of a large innovation center for supporting new technology-‎based firms on the island is among the measures which will show its blessings and ‎benefits in the coming years. As a continuation of this process, and to set up a regional ‎science, innovation and ingenuity hub on this golden Iranian territory in the ‎northern part of the Persian Gulf, the following measures have been placed on the ‎agenda: ‎ ‎1. Implementing a plan to set up new technology parks to accommodate other ‎start-ups, technology companies and entrepreneurs; 2. Interacting with all major and ‎leading universities in the country to persuade them to have a presence on ‎the island; 3. Preparing the ground for setting up an international university on the ‎island, with the participation of a reputable foreign university and domestic ones; 4. ‎Establishing creative or soft industries; and 5. Employing other technology-based ‎measures.‎ Our literature supports and inspires us on such a path. As the notable Iranian ‎poet Sohrab Sepehri wrote: “A boat I will build. Into the water I will throw it. Beyond the seas, there is a city where secrets are uncovered as the windows open.”‎ ‎* Gholamhossein Mozaffari is the chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO ‎of Kish Free Zone Organization.‎