Page 20 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

are used to direct qualitative analytical approach adopted by this report, to analyse global case
studies of DPI for cities implementations:

• What are the key components of DPI deemed necessary and sufficient to achieve an effective
and efficient sustainable digital transformation at the city level, to achieve the SDGs?

• What are the necessary tools, frameworks and requirements to guide stakeholders (e.g., city
leaders) in deploying an effective DPI for cities to achieve cities’ sustainability agenda (e.g., to
enhance their socio-economic and environmental metrics, supporting their journey towards a
sustainable deployment and fostering public trust)?

1.2 DPI and its core analytical viewpoints for cities

Given the above context, the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative, as a global UN
1
collaboration, supported by 20 United Nations (UN) agencies, along with an international network
of cities embracing and adopting the U4SSC key deliverables, provides a unique value proposition
in tackling DPI for cities.

The U4SSC approach merges bottom-up with top-down viewpoints to develop policies, frameworks,
guidelines and recommendations deemed necessary for the sustainable and inclusive development
of digital transformation of smart sustainable cities. To this end, the “Thematic Group on Digital
Public Infrastructure for Cities (TG-DPI4Cities)” was established to develop policies, frameworks
and requirements of DPI and services for smart sustainable cities to enable human-centred digital
transformation at scale.

TG-DPI4Cities defines Digital public infrastructure (DPI) for cities as:

“Necessary and sufficient digital ICT systems that improves quality of life, efficiency of urban operation
and services, and competitiveness, by supporting city level sustainable digital transformation at
scale through trustworthy, secured, and interoperable engagement between people, and the city’s
processes, and its underlying technologies. DPI for cities provides a foundational, holistic, and
inclusive digital layer for societies to engage effectively and efficiently with smart cities’ systems
and services. DPI for cities includes critical systems such as digital identity, digital payments, data
exchange, artificial intelligence (AI), and other foundational infrastructure, needed to support the
interworking, interoperability, scalability and adaption of systems and processes, to wide range of
varying city conditions, challenges, and risks, to achieve an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe and
secure digital adoption for all.”

1 As of the date (July 2025) of developing this document, United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative is a
global UN collaboration, coordinated by ITU, UNEP and UNECE, and supported by a network of key partners, including
UN-Habitat, CBD, ECLAC, FAO, UNDESA, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNEP, UNEP-FI, UNFCCC, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOPS,
UNU-EGOV, UN-Women, UNWTO, and WMO.

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