Page 64 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

The opportunity for global leadership lies in:

1. Collaboration: Cities must work together, sharing best practices and standards to create a
cohesive digital ecosystem. Initiatives like the U4SSC and Open and OASC provide platforms
for this exchange.

2. Innovation: By fostering public-private partnerships and local digital ecosystems, cities can
drive innovation while retaining control over critical infrastructure.

3. Equity: DPI must be designed with inclusivity at its core, ensuring that no resident is left behind,
whether due to disability, income, or lack of connectivity.

4. Resilience: Integrating DPI with climate adaptation strategies such as smart grids and early-
warning systems can safeguard cities against future shocks.

The vision of DPI+, a next-generation digital infrastructure that is adaptive, ethical and universally
accessible, is within reach. City leaders, ministers and policymakers must seize this moment to
champion DPI as the foundation of sustainable urban development. The choices made today will
determine whether our cities become engines of inequality or beacons of progress. The time to
act is now.

By embracing DPI+, cities can unlock a future where technology serves humanity, where governance
is transparent and participatory and urban spaces are resilient, inclusive and thriving for generations
to come. The path forward is clear; the tools are at hand. The question is whether we have the
collective will to build the cities of tomorrow – today. Embracing DPI is not just about mitigation;
it is about ambition. Cities that pioneer stack-agnostic, interoperable DPI can leapfrog ahead in
the race to becoming global exemplars in sustainable, inclusive, resilient urban governance. They
can design service ecosystems that scale across jurisdictions, incubate home-grown civic-tech
ecosystems and attract investment attracted to predictable, data-driven governance.

51