Page 35 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

Decidim, an open-source platform built on Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) and is guided by
transparent, inclusive and ethical principles. Decidim enhances citizen engagement in policymaking
and participatory budgeting by providing a flexible, modular system that can be tailored to various
governance scales (Cardullo et al., 2023). Nigeria’s digital ID system provides the foundational
identification layer, maintaining a central identity database such that authorized entities can securely
access their specific functional needs. The system has enrolled more than 48 million women (2024),
so playing a critical role in narrowing gender gaps in access to public services and financial inclusion
(Women’s World Banking, 2025).

Nairobi’s Braiding App, is another example linking informal women workers to digital markets
to counteract post-pandemic exclusion (Women’s World Bank, 2025; World Bank, 2020); while
Indonesia’s digital ID: Identitas Kependudukan Digital (IKD), integrates 13 million users with health
care, education and financial services while upholding data protection laws.
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These initiatives illustrate how DPI democratizes urban governance through transparent participation,
dismantles systemic barriers for women and vulnerable groups with secure identity solutions, opens
economic pathways for informal workers via purpose-built platforms, and safeguards rights through
inclusive design and legal frameworks.

4.5 Smart digital governance and data-driven urban management

By unifying real-time information from across city operations, DPI enables more responsive and
sustainable management. Lisbon and Bristol's Cloud City Operation Centre (COC) demonstrates
this potential, combining transportation, energy and public safety data into a single dashboard for
coordinated emergency response and operational efficiency.
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Amsterdam's Smart City initiative goes further, by using IoT sensors and open data to dynamically
optimize traffic flows and energy use. The system's adaptive traffic signals reduce congestion while
lowering emissions (Smith, 2022).

3 https:// govinsider .asia/ intl -en/ article/ indonesias -new -digital -id -aims -to -make -it -easier -for -citizens -to -access -public
-services
4 https:// www .nec .com/ en/ global/ techrep/ journal/ g18/ n01/ 180105 .html

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