Page 16 - U4SSC Factsheet, Bizerte, Tunisia, June 2020

City Profile: Bizerte, Tunisia

City Profile

Inhabitants 172 122 City GDP USD 665 423 652
Area 139 km 2 Household Income TND 37 120
Households 36 755 Inflation Rate 6.90 %

The City of Bizerte is part of the Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia, located 65 km north of the capital,
Tunis. Established since 1100 BC, the area is one of the earliest settlements in Tunisia. Bizerte was
also the last town to remain under French control after the rest of Tunisia successfully declared its
independence from France in 1963.

Bizerte's rich history is well documented – from its Phoenician origins, to its time under Roman and
Byzantine rule, to its enduring Arab legacy and its time as a strategically vital sea-port during the
Second World War.

Like other aspiring smart sustainable cities in Tunisia, Bizerte is a remarkable city for study. A unique and
marginal zone in terms of its climate, its relationship to Europe and its geopolitical position as an Arab
country in Africa, Tunisia provides a fascinating lens through which to study the complex geographical
issues of continuity and change in the context of city smartness and sustainability.

Bizerte’s demonstrated commitment to its technological and smart sustainable city (SSC) initiatives
makes it ideal for the implementation of the U4SSC KPIs for SSC. With the active support of ITU, the
first year of Bizerte's U4SSC KPIs project has concluded successfully. The KPIs will also help demonstrate
how Bizerte is progressing in its achievement of the SDGs. The continuation of the project could also
assist Bizerte in conducting periodic internal reviews of its current ICT-related efforts, thereby allowing
the city to benchmark how its ICTs can best be used to monitor and improve its smart city processes
and operations. Hence, this project can play a key role in planning Bizerte’s SSC future.

Furthermore, the vital knowledge gained from Bizerte’s experience will be an important part of ongoing
efforts to make not only the U4SSC KPIs for SSC, but also the upcoming Global Smart Sustainable Cities
Index, the most effective methods to measure progress and provide guidance to cities on their journey
towards becoming smarter and more sustainable.

10 U4SSC Factsheet | Bizerte, Tunisia | June 2020