Page 63 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

threaten to undermine the sustainability and inclusivity of our cities. And yet, these challenges also
present a unique opportunity to reimagine urban governance and service delivery through DPI.

The urgency to act is clear. As highlighted throughout this framework, cities that fail to invest in
robust, inclusive DPI risk falling behind in the global race for resilience, innovation and equitable
growth. Fragmented legacy systems, vendor lock-in and inadequate digital inclusion measures
are not just inefficiencies, they are barriers to achieving the SDGs and fulfilling the promises of
the GDC. The time for incremental change has passed; cities must embrace transformative DPI
solutions that are scalable, interoperable and designed for the public good.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of digital infrastructure in crisis response, from
enabling remote education and health care to facilitating cash transfers for vulnerable populations.
Similarly, climate-related disasters demand real-time data sharing and adaptive governance –
capabilities that DPI can provide. The window to future-proof our cities is narrowing and the cost
of inaction will be borne by the most marginalized communities.

Urban environments worldwide are undergoing rapid transformation. Accelerating population
growth, climate volatility, infrastructure strain and shifting economic landscapes are imposing
unprecedented stress on city systems. These compounding forces demand that municipal
decision-makers act with agility – and this is where Stack-Agnostic DPI+ comes in. By enabling
seamless integration across data ecosystems – regardless of platform, vendor, or legacy constraints
– it empowers cities to respond in real time to system failures, service disparities, public health
emergencies and environmental threats.

Time is not a luxury we can afford. With infrastructure lifespans ticking toward critical thresholds
and digital inequality widening all around, everyday counts. DPI provides the framework cities
need today to make tomorrow manageable, whether this is stress-testing transportation flows in
a heatwave, rerouting utilities during a flood, or scaling vaccination campaigns in a public health
crisis. This is not just about solving problems; it is also about equipping cities to foresee them. And
the closer we march toward climate tipping points and infrastructure collapse, the more immediate
this urgency becomes.

9.2 The opportunity for global leadership

The rise of DPI offers a generational opportunity for cities to lead the way in shaping a digital
future that prioritizes people over profit, inclusion over exclusion and sustainability over short-
term gains. By adopting stack-agnostic DPI, systems that are interoperable across technologies
and jurisdictions, cities can avoid the pitfalls of proprietary silos and ensure long-term adaptability.

Pioneer cities have demonstrated the transformative potential of DPI, from seamless digital identity
systems to participatory governance platforms. These examples prove that DPI is not just a technical
solution but also a governance imperative, one that aligns with global frameworks like the SDGs,
the Pact for the Future and the New Urban Agenda.

50