Page 80 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

These examples are intended to inspire cities to examine smart interventions and to craft new
kinds of applications, services and content that create local value. From application development
software to mobile app development, from e-learning platforms to cloud-based content creation
tools, from content management systems to the creation of editable PDF forms that make the
delivery of Government services easier and more efficient, cities can leverage a wide range of
existing tools to improve their operations and positively impact people’s lives.

Cities are also encouraged to partner with organisations and individuals in the city, and to share
knowledge with peer cities, to find out what works, how to implement smart interventions and to
innovate locally relevant solutions.

This report proposes that cities examine their challenges in terms of information and communication,
the two elements that change when cities become smarter. In approaching any city challenge, a
good starting point is to consider the information that is known and could be collected and analysed,
and to look for smart ways to learn more about each challenge. The second step is to consider
how the situation might change with different ways of communication and communication tools.
Thinking through these two aspects of a city challenge will lead to ideas for smart approaches to
address the problem and will provide feedback so that any change can be monitored and adjusted.

In Chapter 5, the report gives suggestions as to the kind of skills that cities will need to become
smarter as well as how to develop them and how to partner to access the skills they lack. Cities are
encouraged to incorporate smart planning into their existing planning processes and to use their
existing structures and budgets to become smarter. This approach ensures that smart initiatives
are problem-driven and address the most pressing needs of cities.

Cities around the world, big and small, old and new, functioning and dysfunctional are under
pressure to address problems and improve the quality of life for their inhabitants. Think big, start
small and learn fast is the approach recommended for cities wanting to become incrementally
smarter, implementing simple smart interventions to build healthier cities for happier people.

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