Page 58 - International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Moscow

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to shape Smart Sustainable Cities - The case of Moscow

5. Lessons learned from Moscow’s experience in implementing the U4SSC

KPIs

5.1. Introduction

Building cities that are inclusive, safe, resilient, smart and sustainable requires intensive policy
coordination and investment choices. Once a city is built, its physical form and land use patterns
can be locked in for generations, thereby rendering the process of changes extremely complex.
Furthermore, the transition to an energy-efficient and low-carbon city is by no means a short-
term proposition. It entails fundamental changes in the city’s economic and technical
infrastructure, changes in the regulatory framework, mobilization and the coordination of all
federal and regional executive authorities. It also entails changes in consumption patterns and
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other deeply rooted behavioral stereotypes within the various stakeholder groups.
So far, Moscow’s journey towards becoming a Smart Sustainable City has, in every respect, been
rapid and successful. The swiftness of the intelligent planning, design, coordination and
implementation of its SSC initiatives have improved the life of Muscovites considerably. This is
especially impressive considering the sheer size and age of this European megacity.
This progress has been made possible mainly through the vision and financial commitment of
various levels of government and private sector partners. This partnership is where the success
of the current Information City and upcoming Smart Moscow 2030 strategies do, and will, lie.

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As the Head of Moscow’s Smart City Lab, Mr. Eldar Tuzmukhamedov, noted in 2017.

Smart cities must be a public-private partnership, and Moscow's experience is
remarkable proof of this statement. The city shall not just spend its budget; it shall
always aim to attract investment. Moscow uses investment contracts, creating and
offering new models for the business.

Our free city Wi-Fi is built on (the) investment model: the companies spend their money
on the infrastructure, and then make profit on advertisement. The same goes for the city
CCTV system: the cameras are installed and maintained by mobile operators. It is a
mutually beneficial cooperation, where we cut our expenses, and the business
gets its profit.

Moscow’s publication of extensive open data sets (in number and comprehensiveness) is
another area for potential future public and private partnership. Multiple applications that
function as delivery platforms for these data have also already been developed with input from
public actors.
Smart sustainable cities operate with a large volume of interconnected devices and components.
Security concerns on data privacy, criminal misuse of public information, and other cybercrimes
are legitimate concerns. In response, Moscow has already implemented strict regulations that
require every department and agency to protect all data in their possession against the risks of
unauthorized access. Sensitive personal data, such as medical, tax and financial data, are

64 Girardi (2017)

65 Coward (2017)

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