On May 14, 2024, the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) organized the 14th lecture of the Fudan-Arab Lecture Series. Martin de Jong, Director of the Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Professor at the Rotterdam School of Management and School of Law, and Adjunct Professor at the IGPP, delivered a lecture on the theme of Smart Cities as Spatial Manifestations of 21st Century Capitalism. The lecture was chaired by Professor Yijia Jing, Dean of the IGPP.

Professor Martin de Jong systematically traced the historical context of 12 urban construction concepts over the past nearly 20 years. Smart cities, with their highly informative, intelligent, and interconnected characteristics, have gradually become the most popular model of urban development. Using the experiences of Western developed countries as examples, Professor Martin de Jong classifies smart cities into  six forms: science parks, innovation zones, smart communities, urban development plans related to smart cities, urban platforms, and alternative smart city spaces.

In the Q&A session, faculty members and students engaged in lively discussions on topics such as comparative research on smart city development and the main driving forces behind smart city development.