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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