Page 157 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

Further information on the notion and attributes of SSC, and the role of ICTs are
available at:

 FG‐SSC deliverable (2014), Technical Report on “An overview of SSC and the role of
ICT”.
 FG‐SSC deliverable (2014), Technical Report on “Smart sustainable cities: an analysis
of definitions”.

Also involved in this first stage of implementation, is the definition of a baseline identifying the city’s
strengths and weaknesses, and defining clearly the priorities and objectives, as the city moves
towards the obtaining of smart sustainable city status. This baseline must be defined in an empirical
and standardized way through the use of indicators.

In this regard, it is important to recognize that for SSC strategies to succeed over time, they need to
be well articulated and aligned with existent approaches to urban planning, so as to ensure that
smart technologies, infrastructures and city services respond to a broader, more holistic vision of
the city. Understanding the urban system, its goals, operation, gaps and opportunities, is a necessary
step that should precede, and serve as a foundation for, the implementation of SSC strategies.

Identifying the city's purposes and existing urban planning goals, will help determine the priority
actions in their path towards becoming a smart sustainable city – i.e., the common solutions the city
would want to implement first, the areas of focus in the short, medium and long term.
Thus, the identification of city purposes/priorities of action, governance and stakeholders are
closely interlinked, and are vital to form a robust basis for the design of SSC. Along with the set of
stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities within the SSC framework, decision makers need
to define a governance model and leadership strategies required for the city's transformation.

Thus, the establishment of a cross‐sectorial body that can provide continuous support to city council
officials and decision makers could contribute to a coherent design and implementation of smart
and sustainable cities over time. This body could help ensure the articulation of SSC strategies and
the city's urban planning goals, as well as facilitate collaboration and strategic alignment between
the multiple stakeholders (including city‐level departments and structures at local, municipal and
national levels) that need to be involved in the realization of SSC.

The ITU‐T FG‐SSC – WG 4 have developed a technical report that identifies key SSC stakeholders, as
summarized in Box 2.

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 147