Page 12 - Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan
P. 12

Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan



                   Identifying the city's projects and existing urban planning goals will help determine the priorities
                   for action in path of the municipality towards becoming an SSC – i.e., the common solutions the
                   city would want to implement first, and the areas of focus in the short, medium and long term.

                   Thus, the identification of city purposes and priorities for action, governance and stakeholders
                   are closely interlinked, and are vital to forming a robust basis for the design of an SSC. Along
                   with the set of stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities within the SSC framework,
                   decision-makers need to define a governance model and leadership strategies required for
                   the city's transformation.

                   Thus, the establishment of a cross-sectorial body that can provide continuous support to city
                   council officials and decision-makers could contribute to a coherent design and implementation
                   of smart and sustainable cities over time. This body could help ensure the articulation of SSC
                   strategies and the city's urban planning goals, as well as facilitate collaboration and strategic
                   alignment between the multiple stakeholders (including city-level departments and structures
                   at local, municipal and national levels) that need to be involved in the realization of an SSC.

                   ITU-T has developed a report that identifies key SSC stakeholders ITU-T Y-Sup.34 to ITU-T
                   Y.4000 series – Smart sustainable cities – Setting the stage for stakeholders' engagement.

                   A crucial step for setting an inclusive and sustainable basis for SSC consists of identifying and
                   implementing effective mechanisms for inhabitant engagement. Inhabitants are the ultimate
                   beneficiaries of SSC functionalities, as these are aimed at increasing the access to, and boosting
                   the efficiency of, city services in order to improve inhabitants' well-being.

                   While these mechanisms should be set up at the onset of the SSC's strategy, they should be
                   maintained, monitored and adjusted throughout the process of implementation to ensure
                   flexibility, as well as the provision of up-to-date information about the features and benefits
                   that SSC can provide to its inhabitants.

                   Without relevant and timely information, inhabitants can perceive SSC projects as an unnecessary
                   use of their taxes. It is, therefore, important to demonstrate transparency and accountability in
                   the investments made in SSC service provision and in the way in which these investments are
                   having an impact on the inhabitants' quality of life.
                   An SSC needs to promote participation in crucial aspects of the city's functioning; for example,
                   with participatory budgets. Inhabitants can also play a key role in the provision of data to
                   inform, city-level decision-making processes (e.g., inhabitant as a sensor, real-time reporting
                   or monitoring using social media), as well as in the provision of innovative ideas to improve
                   city services, or to tackle emerging challenges through cost-effective approaches. In addition,
                   it is important to involve companies in the design of the city in order to better understand their
                   needs and facilitate investments made on their behalf.

                   An SSC must be inclusive and enable access to those sectors of the population that may
                   not have access to technology. To address this challenge, municipalities can offer training
                   programmes targeting marginalized populations (e.g., vulnerable women, the elderly and
                   persons with disabilities), equip public zones with technologies to broaden the beneficiary base,
                   and implement other programmes aimed at raising awareness and encouraging inhabitant
                   engagement in the realization of the SSC strategy.







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