My Urban Challenge: Smart City Officer of Cebu

Oleh Apala Bhattacharya

Managing inequality, traffic and waste in a commercial hub.

Cebu city is the Philippines’ second most populated city and a large commercial and trading center. Chief Smart City Officer, Paul Nigel Villarete must ensure that tech projects improve lives for all residents, rich or poor. “If the people remain poor, no matter how good your technology is, the worst thing is it will only help a few,” he says.

We summarise the challenges and opportunities faced by Cebu in the infographic below.