Page 274 - ITU-T Focus Group Digital Financial Services – Executive Summary

The large-scale involvement within the U4SSC has helped this initiative to fulfil its promise of being an
effective platform to promote smart city best practices and support smart city transitions.
As a result of a successful first phase, U4SSC has submitted 24 output documents which have been included
in this flipbook. In keeping with the importance of the SDGs and the rising concerns of countries regarding
whether they may be able to attain these through urban governance measures, this flipbook has provided
case studies that are relevant for each goal within the SDG framework.

For its second phase, the U4SSC will review its existing terms of reference and will aim to include other topics
which have not been covered in depth in its first set of products. Some key issues and deliverables which can
be reserved for phase 2 include:
(1) Smart cities and artificial intelligence: The role of artificial intelligence could be explored more in-
depth. As the most common goal of smart sustainable cities is to attain efficiency, artificial
intelligence may provide the gateway for creating a self-functioning urban system which can
improve sustainability and quality of human life.

(2) Data security: Various platforms including the Dubai Data Platform and mygov portal have been
referred to in the outputs in this flipbook. The U4SSC could examine the security protocols needed
for the protection of such data from misuse.
(3) Animals in smart cities: There is limited research on this topic barring a few proposed pilot projects
for pet dogs. Several countries are familiar with the sight of strays in their cities. Often, wild animals
such as elephants are brought into cities (as part of circuses or zoos) and domesticated with no
proper regulatory system to prevent their mistreatment. Most smart city guidelines do not account
for these other living creatures with whom humans share the urban ecosystem. Accordingly, U4SSC
could examine how smart cities can sustain and provide a good quality of life to all living things in
the urban realm and not restrict it to just humans.
(4) Smart cities and culture: Countries and their cities have their own distinct culture. Although the
concept of culture has been in the smart sustainable city definition, more research needs to be
conducted within the U4SSC on how to conserve existing cultural practices and beliefs without
significant clashes with the global smart city dream.
(5) Smart cities and knowledge societies: Creating knowledge societies within the smart city ecosystem
is a key aim of urban planners across the globe. “Smart people” form the core of these knowledge
societies, in which these individuals rely on each other, value ethics and work towards common
goals, while placing self-respect and information sharing at the centre. In the context of smart cities,
knowledge societies strive for access to knowledge, ICTs and skill development. Phase 2 of the U4SSC
could further explore this domain of knowledge societies within the urban realm, especially smart
cities.

(6) Best practices for building smart sustainable cities in line with the Sustainable Development Goals:
Based on the mapping scheme in Section 5 and Section 6, phase 2 of the U4SSC could be dedicated
to developing a framework document which details defined guidelines on establishing cities which
directly cater to an attain each SDG.
(7) Case studies dedicated to other international agreements and targets: While this flipbook was
primarily dedicated to the SDGs, U4SSC members could conduct more research on existing practices
directed towards the Paris Agreement, Connect 2020 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda.

(8) Smart villages: while the current vision of the U4SSC is focused on smart and sustainable cities, for
the benefit of rural populations, U4SSC could examine the concept of “smart villages” to explore
sustainable measures which target communities living in remote areas.
(9) Cities and gender: The role of women in smart sustainable cities could be further examined within
the U4SSC to highlight the importance of safety measures for women and children.

270 U4SSC series