Page 142 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

Cities must be capable of applying lessons learned and instituting best practices concerning SSC.
Consequently, cities must be accountable for continuous improvement to strengthen the
effectiveness of future SSC strategies. For this city leaders must be flexible and able to adapt to the
dynamic, evolving and complex nature of SSC and be able to continuously update the vision as
required.

4 Cities are our best future!

While sustainability challenges of cities are significant, urban areas also hold the key to achieving
many global sustainability goals. Cities are home to the majority of humanity, and sustainable
development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way
we build and manage our urban spaces. “To be…. or not to
The infusion of ICT into key processes is pertinent to achieving sustainability. be a Smart
ICTs can assist with the establishment of SSCs through innovation, redesign Sustainable City.
of existing processes. This can include new applications, technologies and That is no longer
systems for smart energy, smart transportation, smart buildings, smart water the question”.
management and smart Government.
As ICTs provide an integrated strategic approach to sustainability in SSC, they are key enablers of
urban development, making ICT integration also vital to the achievement of the post‐2015
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Cities do not have the option to continue functioning as they have done in the past. Hence city
decision makers have to see the writing on the wall, and decide on a maintainable urban process,
which promotes economic progress as well as environmental protection. Here, the SSC vision not
only provides the benefit for sustained economic growth but also ensures a high quality of life for
the citizens along with environmental sustainability.

132 ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications