What is the smart way to 'smart city'?

[Photo: thinkstockphotos.com]

China's urbanization is progressing rapidly. What is the strategy to make Chinese cities green and move livable? What is a smart city? What it is like to live in a house with zero carbon? 

To answer such questions we talk to Prof. Jason Pomeroy, an award-winning architect, academic, author and designer of a number of notable projects, including the first zero carbon house and zero carbon community in Asia, and Indonesia's 'Silicon Valley'.

Prof. Jason Pomeroy is also Founding Principal of Pomeroy Studio. [Photo: courtesy of Prof. Jason Pomeroy] 

Questions discussed in the interview:

1. How to define "smart city"?

2. You've researched on and toured many cities around the world. What are some of the good examples in green and smart city? And what are the common issues that need to be urgently addressed?

3. In your idea, what are some of the challenging issues facing China in particular?

4.How can mega cities like Beijing and Shanghai make themselves smart and green and livable while still preserve their historical flavors?

5. You emphasize the role architecture plays in helping to combat climate change and improve the liveability of cities, whereas a lot people often see buildings as just a cold mixture of concrete, steel and brick. How do you explain to people about your point?

Pomeroy Studio's B House is a pioneering operational carbon-negative home in Singapore that generates more green power than it consumes, costs the same as similar properties in the area, and draws on many of the passive design techniques used in Singapore's iconic Black and White colonial bungalows. [Photo: courtesy of Prof. Jason Pomeroy]

6. You are the designer of the first carbon negative house in Singapore, one of your various notable projects. How did you make it carbon free? What are the markers we can look for when judging whether a building is carbon free or not? And tell us a bit about the first zero carbon community in Asia?

7. You are an advocate of passive design. Can you elaborate on the concept and tell our listeners how the principles of passive design, and the return to basic design concepts is key to building sustainable building?

8. As an award-winning architect, when you design a building, what do you place more emphasis on, the aesthetics of an architecture, or the "green" aspect of it?

9. What plays a more important role in making sure a building is "green", the design, the technology or the building materials?

10. What is your ideal house?

[The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.]