In a commentary, SMU Academic Director (MSc in Innovation) and Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources (Education) Thomas Menkhoff highlighted that while smart sensors are part of what makes a city smart, ground-up, collaborative efforts by citizens and entrepreneurs are the essential ingredients to turn a smart city into a truly compelling place to call home. He had recently embarked on a study trip (which he themed "Living in Smart Cities: Innovation and Sustainability in Berlin (Germany) and Barcelona (Spain)") to Germany and Spain with 28 SMU undergraduates. The key objective was to expose Singapore youth to selected smart city concepts and practice approaches in two great European cities with reference to smart city dimensions such as the economy, governance, people, living, mobility and the environment.

Prof Menkhoff was impressed by the collective determination and practical capacity of start-ups (in Berlin) to fight climate change and to monetise that agenda on the basis of smart business models. In Barcelona, he enjoyed the city's walkability, which - in combination with a pleasant environment - represents an essential component of smart urban (integrated) mobility systems.