Page 13 - Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Singapore

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities –
The Case of Singapore

1. Snapshot of smart sustainable cities: The ITU perspective

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is committed to supporting cities around the
world with their evolution to a smart and sustainable city. In line with its role as an international
standards-developing organization, ITU has developed a framework of policies, standards and
guidelines on the role of information communication technologies (ICTs) in creating smart
sustainable cities.

In October 2015, ITU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
developed the following definition for smart sustainable cities:

“A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and
communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life,
efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it
meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social,
environmental as well as cultural aspects”.

ITU plays a significant role in providing a consolidated platform for discussions on smart city
development policies, strategies and standards. This responds directly to the challenges of
developing smart city initiatives in today’s global cities. Quite often, smart city activities are
undertaken in a fragmented manner by governmental agencies working in isolation without
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using global standards. With input from leading cities and smart city experts on the standards
underway, ITU has strengthened its position as a central player in the development of
international standards for smart sustainable cities around the globe.
ITU-T has developed a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) through its Study Groups to assist
cities in integrating ICT services into their existing urban operations. These indicators are
contained in Recommendation ITU-T Y.4901/L.1601, Key performance indicators related to the
use of information and communication technology in smart sustainable cities and ITU-T
Y.4902/L.1602, Key performance indicators related to the sustainability impacts of information
and communication technology in smart sustainable cities. The main purpose of developing
these KPIs was to provide cities with a credible monitoring system for their smart city transitions.
Implementing these KPIs allows urban stakeholders to expedite the transition towards a smart
and sustainable city, and discern the gaps and improvements required in their respective smart
city plans thereby expediting desired smart city transformations across the globe.
The ITU-T Recommendations containing the KPIs were approved as international standards by
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the ITU-T Study Group 5 on Environment, Climate Change and Circular Economy.

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Korsak, 2016.
2 ITU-T Recommendations are international standards developed by ITU-T, the standards development
wing of the International Telecommunication Union.

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