Page 22 - U4SSC: City Science Application Framework

pragmatic prioritization approach is included in this city science application framework with two
main criteria. The first criterion is the value which identifies the projected value of the city science
idea. The second criterion identifies the projected ease of implementation of the city science
idea in the city’s own context. Each criterion is composed of several sub-criteria which are briefly
explained below.

i. Value

• Alignment with city science vision & strategy: This sub-criterion refers to city science idea’s
overall fit to city’s existing city science vision and strategy (if it exists).

• Social Impact: This sub-criterion assesses the impact of the city science idea on people
and communities in the city. It would include issues such as people’s lifestyle, culture,
participation and engagement, health and well-being, personal freedom and privacy,
concerns and aspirations among others. It is also important to assess whether it impacts the
entire city or a subset of the city inhabitants.

• Economic Impact: This sub-criterion assesses the impact of the city science idea in the city’s
economy. Economic impact can include issues such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the
city, employment, wealth, disposable income, skills of the labor force among others.

• Environmental Impact: This sub-criterion assesses the impact of the city science idea in the
city’s overall environment. Environmental impact captures effects of the city science idea on
urban natural environment and resources (e.g. city water, energy, emissions, air, land, waste).

ii. Ease of Implementation

• Implementation Cost: This sub-criterion measures the total cost and requisite financial
resources for implementing the city science idea.
• Implementation Timeframe: This sub-criterion refers to the total implementation time of the
city science idea.

• Implementation Resources Requirement: This sub-criterion refers to the human resources
requirements for implementation regarding the city science idea.

• Implementation Risk: This sub-criterion encapsulates various risks which may potentially
arise during the implementation of the city science idea. Following factors may help in
assessing various risks.

o PESTEL barriers: This factor captures political, economic, social, technological,
environmental and legal barriers which exist in the city and may hinder the
implementation of the city science idea.
o Complexity: This factor reflects the complexity for implementing the city science
idea in terms of number of stakeholders involved, various uncertainties involved in
implementation, dependencies and connections to other initiatives / action items in the
city, among others.

14 City Science Application Framework