Fourth, Shenzhen, which will focus on innovation. With each city specialising further in their respective comparative advantages, the GBA is supposed to become a “vibrant world-class city cluster”. The Development Plan for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area gave a vital impulse to the rapid advancement of urbanisation. It foresees establishing data ports, information networks, electronic payment, and telecommunication systems, and developing “smart transport, smart energy, smart municipal management and smart communities”. Smart urbanization and role of Special Economic and Technological Development Districts The Reform and Opening Up process triggered China's rapid economic rise over the past three decades. One of the pillars of this economic reform was the 'Open Door policy' of 1978, paired with the creation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). By allowing and encouraging foreign direct investments, these zones became engines of China's further economic, social, urban, and political development. The first SEZs were established in 1979, starting with Shenzhen next to Hong Kong and Zhuhai adjacent to Macao, pioneering experiments devised to exploit the capability of differences of each city. As accelerators of economic growth, these zones were characterized by skilled labour and an abundance of resources. There are currently over 2000 so-called "economic development zones" (or EDZs) in China. While the term "economic development zone" is the official and literal translation of the Chinese term "经济开发区 (pinyin: jīngjì kāifāqū)", it may be better translated as "economic clusters" in English. Among these clusters, Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Foshan National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone and Zhaoqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone are located within the GBA. With the rising economic importance, the GBA also underwent unprecedented urban growth over the past three decades. The total urban areas have expanded from 652.74 km2 in 1986 to 8137.09 km2 in 2017 (approximately 13 times), at an 8.28% average annual growth rate. Main driving factors of the urban expansions in the GBA were rapidly increasing GDP, income, and population.Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan recorded the most remarkable urbanization changes, while Hong Kong and Macau had respectively lower magnitudes of change (118.53 and 6.98 km2, respectively). Due to its industrial strength, advanced infrastructure, and vast human resources, GBA is an ideal place for developing and implementing smart city solutions. Thanks to the highly connected and innovation-driven entrepreneurial landscape of I&T trailblazers like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area consistently develops artificial intelligence, robotics, biomedical and healthcare technology,