Smart Home Governance in Hong Kong and Vancouver: A Comparative Study of Smart Home Technologies
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Issue Date
2025
Editor
Authors
Lam, Kon Ho
License
Subject
School of environment and sustainability
Abstract
The idea of ‘smart cities’ has been proposed by some scholars as an overall response to the energy challenges associated with climate change. A more granular or localized aspect of smart cities, namely the concept of 'smart homes', it is argued in this work, can provide an important focal point for addressing urban sustainability challenges such as energy and climate change. This research aims to shift the discussion about 'smart homes' from a technical or top-down solutions-oriented approach to a more user-centric perspective. A five-factor framework which includes Agency, Sustainability, Equity, Privacy and Durability (ASEPD) forms the conceptual foundation for this research. This study also develops an original, comparative study between two distinct city-regions: Hong Kong and Metro Vancouver. The study examines specific understandings of smart homes and smart home technologies (SHTs) amongst end users, builders, designers, developers, property managers, planners and government officials in each of these city-regions. Quantitative and qualitative data collected in online surveys (n=120) and semi-structured in-depth interviews (n=9), as well as a literature review, offers insights on a diversity of respondents’ expectations and concerns regarding SHTs in both city-regions. Such insights are linked to a set of specific recommendations about design and public policy, and governance for sustainability issues (and future research directions) related to SHTs in the hope of better aligning the needs and desires of diverse users and communities in both unique city-regions.
Description
2025