Page 573 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

ICT tools help managing, analysing and disseminating geographic information that can be used for
contingency planning, disaster assessment and post‐disaster response (Box 5). Climate modelling
research supported by ICT tools allows the mapping the different levels of vulnerability in cities. This
provides a new opportunity for policy makers and urban planners to better understand cities and to
project future scenarios.

Box 5. Virtual centre on climate change

The Mexico City Government has identified a number of strategic adaptive actions that need to be
taken to react to these climatic changes (GDF 2008). Short‐term, extreme event‐ related actions
include: implementation of a metropolitan hydro‐meteorological monitoring and forecasting
system; micro‐basin management of urban ravines; assistance to people who are identified as
specifically vulnerable to extreme climate events; epidemiological monitoring; protection and
recovery of native crops; and remote detection and monitoring of forest fires during the dry season.
Actions for a medium‐ term response – which also encompass actions on mitigation of emissions –
include: growth and improvement of public transportation and the transformation of vehicle
technology; the efficient use of energy in buildings, industrial facilities, public lighting systems, water
pumping systems, and homes; the exploitation of renewable energy sources; the rational use of
water, as well as the reduction of waste generation and the promotion of an effective waste
management system. However, such strategic actions require a sound evidence base, and also the
opportunities for discussion among relevant stakeholders. In order to support this, in 2008, a Virtual
Centre on Climate Change was created (Centro Virtual de Cambio Climático de la Ciudad de México
– CVCCCM). The rationale for the Centre was that it would provide not just evidence and advice to
policy‐makers, but also help inform broader society – always enabled by ICT–based networks and
other digital tools.
Source: Marino, O (2011) Building the evidence base for strategic action on climate change: Mexico City's virtual climate
change centre. http://www.niccd.org/sites/default/files/NICCD_Strategy_Case_Study_MexicoCentre.pdf

In summary, ICTs are effective tools for hazard mapping and environmental monitoring in cities. ICT
can aggregate, create, and integrate data, delivering a comprehensive set of information,
appropriate for each end user. Real‐time information on the changing climate can support risk
assessments, strengthen early warning systems (EWS) and enhance disaster preparedness.

3.2 ICTs for city resilience and adaptive capacity

City resilience can be achieved in two ways: (i) by making urban ICT systems more robust and by (ii)
increasing the city's adaptive capacity. A robust system is "designed with safety margins that allow
residents to survive sudden change and to quickly bounce back". It is important to mention that the
social, economic and physical elements of a city; including ICTs, can become more robust.

Adaptive capacity refers to the ability to respond to change and surprise, to quickly learn and easily
adapt to new conditions without any major costs or permanent loss in function. ICT tools capture,
transmit and disseminate data on climate and whether conditions, providing useful information on
the environment for policy makers for the elaboration of adaptive responses. ICTs provide
information dissemination and opportunities for urban planners to assess risks and work with future
scenarios, thus contributing to the city's adaptive capacity, including its ability to design and
implement both preventive and reactive measures (Box 6).

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