The latest developments in Southeast Asia

The Vietnamese National Assembly is discussing the revised draft of the urban and rural planning law, emphasizing smart cities and digital infrastructure.

Ⅰ.Dynamic time: November 28, 2025. 

Ⅱ.Core content: The 10th session of the 15th National Assembly of Vietnam held group discussions on the "Amendment and Supplementary Law on Certain Clauses of the Urban and Rural Planning Law (Draft)". During the discussions, the representatives suggested adding "digital infrastructure and urban data connectivity capabilities" as an indicator for classifying cities in the legal definition, in order to promote a data-driven urban management model and adapt to the green, intelligent and sustainable urban development trend. At the same time, there were also suggestions to add "underground space planning" and other contents, reflecting the consideration of the integrity and forward-looking nature of urban infrastructure.

ASEAN region collaboratively promotes smart cities and green development

Ⅰ.Key Event: In September 2025, the 8th Annual Conference of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN8) was held in Malaysia. At the conference, the "ASEAN Smart City Action Plan 2026-2035" was officially launched. This plan covers three main pillars: administrative digitalization, regional balanced development, and institutionalized cross-border cooperation. 

Ⅱ.Related event: In the same month, the 2025 China-ASEAN Construction Industry Cooperation and Development Forum was held in Guilin, China, with the theme of "Green Development, Digital Empowerment", aiming to promote more practical achievements in areas such as sharing of construction engineering standards and technological collaboration and innovation between China and ASEAN countries.

Singapore has implemented mandatory energy-saving renovations for large buildings.

Ⅰ.The Singaporean Parliament passed the Building Control (Amendment) Act in 2024, stipulating that from the third quarter of 2025, large existing buildings with high energy consumption, such as commercial buildings and medical institutions, must reduce their energy consumption by at least 10%. 

Ⅱ.Implementation mechanism: Regulated buildings are required to report their "energy consumption index". Those consistently ranking at the top for three consecutive years must undergo energy audits and implement renovation measures.

European and American Region Dynamics

The United States strengthens the "Buy American" requirements for federal infrastructure projects.

Policy Document: On October 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy updated and released Policy Letter No. 2025-03, which clearly stipulates that in federal-funded public infrastructure projects, the use of steel, manufactured products, and construction materials produced in the United States is mandatory. This policy was formulated in accordance with the "Build America, Buy America Act" within the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act".

The US federal government is actively promoting the application of intelligent building technology.

Ⅰ.Project and Funding: The General Services Administration of the United States collaborates with the Department of Energy, utilizing the funds provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, to seek the testing of innovative smart and energy-saving technologies in federal buildings. The key areas of focus include deep energy efficiency renovations, fully electrified buildings, resilient health buildings, and low-carbon materials, etc. 

Ⅱ.Acceleration Plan: The "Federal Smart Building Accelerator" project launched by the Federal Energy Management Program of the Department of Energy came to an end in September 2024. Its goal was to promote the widespread application of smart building and grid interaction efficient building technologies in federal facilities.

California has updated its building energy efficiency standards, mandating the promotion of electrification technologies such as heat pumps.

Standard Update: The California Energy Commission approved the 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Regulations) in September 2024. The new regulations will mandate or encourage the use of heat pump technology for space heating and hot water in new and some existing buildings. Additionally, "power readiness" requirements have been added for commercial kitchens and multi-family residences, and solar energy and storage standards have been updated.

The EU is implementing new regulations for construction products and establishing digital passes.

Regulation comes into effect: The EU "Building Products Regulation" came into force on January 7, 2025, aiming to provide performance, sustainability and compliance information for the entire life cycle of building products through the establishment of digital product passports.