Page 97 - U4SSC Compendium of survey results on integrated digital solutions for city platforms around the world

The investment of around EUR 1 million per year in the city platform has provided a huge return
on investment. The cost reduction achieved by using the platform in different important service
contracts (e.g., mobility, telephony) has already doubled the annual investment in the platform.
Additionally, the productivity of the urban platform has been a fundamental factor in contributing
to the receipt of external financing in competitive bidding.

In 2016, Valencia City Council received a grant of EUR 4.2 million from the public entity Red.es for
the development of 17 Smart City projects (IMPULSO VLCi), the existence of a city platform being
a positive evaluation criterion. The application and management of the assistance were carried
out by a team from the Smart City Office.

In 2017, Valencia City Council received aid of EUR 1.6 million from MAtchUP, the European Union-
funded Smart Cities and Communities lighthouse programme for the development of different
projects arising from a positive evaluation of the city platform.

In 2019, Valencia City Council received additional aid of EUR 2.5 million from the public entity Red.
es to integrate 194 municipal buildings into the municipal platform. The finances were managed
by the Smart City Office team and the technical office of the project.

Obtaining aid in previous projects can be considered as quantifiable performance. Non-quantifiable
returns are linked to better efficiency and management in municipal services.

Currently, the monetization strategy of the information contained in the platform has not been
developed. The information provided to universities and research centres has been free of charge
and through confidentiality agreements with these institutions.

The improvements in strategic and operational decisions that are delivered by the dashboards
in municipal areas are not valued, neither is the resulting reduction in administrative overheads.

Enhanced production by local enterprises as an outcome of API data generated by the platform
have also not been accorded a monetary value and neither have endowments and funding of
research projects provided by the platform to university departments aimed at improving their
research capacity.

In summary, it is clear that investment in the city platform has been wise and sustainable, bringing
direct and indirect benefits to the city, as well as tangible and intangible benefits for citizens and
the socio-economic environment.

10.6 Key Factors and Barriers to Implementation

The key success factor for the implementation of a smart city strategy in the city is the conviction
among policy-makers of the importance of data as critical 21st-century infrastructure needed by
a city to move forwards in a robust and sustainable way.

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