Page 21 - Guide for smart and sustainable city leaders: Envisioning sustainable digital transformation

Guide for smart and sustainable city leaders: Envisioning sustainable digital transformation

have the potential to improve accountability and mitigate specific environmental risks. However,
issues relating to the governance and adoption of digital technologies in the context of, to cite
just a few examples, cost, mismanagement, security and privacy within the smart city domain
continue to persist.

In addition, an assessment should also be undertaken on how each type of technology
guarantees adequate access and interoperability with assistive technologies for inhabitants
with specific needs. Appropriate alternatives should be considered if accessibility is not feasible.

As physical and digital spaces are increasingly interlinked, the potential of technology to serve
people and communities is directly connected to ensuring that human rights are protected when
accessing and using digital technologies. This is essential for equitable service delivery and
responsible and ethical use of technologies in cities, and to include residents and communities
safely. When adopting digital technologies, SSCs need to assess existing gaps in accessibility
and use, mitigate potential harmful impacts of technology and maximizing transparency and
inclusion through public participation and representation, offline and online, to understand
local needs and requirements to develop solutions that serve people and communities.

Therefore, before implementing digital technologies for initiating a smart city transition, it is
essential to keep certain aspects in mind, including proper procurement, inclusivity, resilience
and accountability. Certain frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence are not neutral
and require context consideration, due diligence and appropriate governance mechanisms
to ensure responsible use and that ethical risks and concerns are addressed. In addition, it is
important to be aware that frontier technologies are a panacea for addressing sustainability
challenges in urban areas and must be adopted whilst integrating human-centred approaches
and robust business processes.

Additionally, prior to commencing the smart city expedition, requests for proposals (RFPs)
relating to the procurement of digital technologies should outline:
a) infrastructural requirements for their adoption;
b) budget;
c) the sectors in which it will be implemented;
d) accessibility requirements;
e) interoperability with assistive devices; and
f) desired outcomes of adoption.
Step 5 – Build your SSC

Using the key stakeholder buy-in and stakeholder engagement methods highlighted in Step
2 along with the outline for the adoption of appropriate digital technologies (as underscored
in Step 4), local governments should lead the way to actually initiating the establishment of
their smart sustainable city. For this step, the existing traditional infrastructure may need to be
improved upon significantly by integrating the required digital technologies for the upgrade to
SSC. The stakeholders may also choose to build a new infrastructure from scratch, in line with
their digital transformation targets.

For either of the aforementioned scenarios, the following features are pertinent:

a) Framing of a feasible master plan for your SSC journey.
b) Investigating and selecting appropriate construction models (e.g., public-private
partnerships in various SSC programmes).

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