Page 17 - A U4SSC deliverable - Guidelines on tools and mechanisms to finance Smart Sustainable Cities projects

To clarify issues in attracting investors to close this development gap, the Guidelines focus on
two elements: what the problem is and how it can be solved. The problem is fulfilling the needs
of citizens, be this water, energy, or infrastructure of any type. The solution, in many cases, is the
development of an efficient and successful “real asset” (in this document, the term real asset refers
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to real estate and infrastructure assets), which would cover the needs of that group or community.

The Guidelines explain how these solutions can be designed as opportunities for investors, enabling
the creation of feasible and financeable projects. They also provide a set of tools, which can be used
to prepare a pipeline of projects for sustainable and smart city development. These tools help this
pipeline to serve as a long-term cooperation roadmap between cities and investors.

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