Page 9 - 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

Executive summary

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations (UN) specialized agency
for information and communication technologies (ICTs) and an international standard
developing organization, has developed a set of International Standards (ITU-T
Recommendations) on key performance indicators (KPIs) for smart sustainable cities (SSC) to
assist cities in becoming smarter and more sustainable and provide cities with a tool for self-
assessment.

In 2018, Moscow initiated a partnership with ITU to implement the United for Smart Sustainable
Cities (U4SSC) KPIs on smart sustainable cities. These KPIs are based on Recommendation
ITU-T Y.4903/L.1603 on “Key performance indicators for smart sustainable cities to assess the
achievement of sustainable development goals”. The KPIs are categorized into three key
dimensions: Economy, Environment, and Society and Culture. These KPIs are specifically
designed to assess compliance with existing international city KPIs, to assist in measuring
Moscow’s progress towards its Smart Moscow 2030 strategy and to help cities achieve the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This case study documents the key findings arising from the first year of the close working
relationship between Moscow and ITU. It also highlights the activities carried out by different
entities to support Moscow’s various Smart City initiatives.

Section 1 delves into the history of the ITU in assisting Smart Sustainable City projects and the
importance of standardization in fostering Smart Sustainable City transitions. This section also
highlights the important role of the U4SSC in driving the transition of Smart Sustainable Cities
worldwide by sharing technical knowledge and preparing appropriate guidelines.

Section 2 describes Moscow’s Smart City transitions and traces the city’s journey since adopting
the Information City strategy in 2011. This section also presents the details of Moscow’s
upcoming Smart City strategy: Smart Moscow 2030.

Section 3 highlights the scope of the U4SSC KPIs for the SSC project in Moscow and underscores
the three main phases of implementing the KPIs. The KPIs are the primary tool to measure
Moscow’s efforts in becoming smarter and more sustainable.
Section 4 explores and links the various Smart City activities adopted by Moscow with the three
dimensions of measuring a city’s smartness and sustainability, and provides a deeper
understanding of Moscow’s efforts in each of these areas.
Section 5 highlights several best practices for aspiring smart cities based on Moscow’s
experience in implementing the U4SSC KPIs. This section also offers suggestions for Moscow to
strengthen its position as a growing smart city and to improve the applicability of the KPIs to the
city’s specific case.

One of the goals of this project was to improve the feasibility and applicability of the KPIs.
Moscow has provided input to the existing KPI definitions and also practical solutions to improve
the data collection process. The key findings of this working relationship will contribute to the
development of the first “ITU Global Smart Sustainable Cities Index”.

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