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Smart sustainable cities need holistic approach, say global stakeholders
Technology will be key to meeting urban development challenges
Geneva, 9 May 2013 – Information and communication
technologies (ICTs) have a crucial role to play in tackling the developmental
challenges facing the cities that are becoming our primary choice of habitation
in the 21st century, concluded participants attending the
8th ITU Symposium on ICT and Environment Change, held in
Turin, 6-7 May.
An estimated 65% of the world’s population now lives in cities. With an
additional 1.3 million people moving from rural to urban areas every week, by
2050 more than six billion people will be living in urban agglomerations. In
addition, the size of conurbations continues to grow, with the number of
mega-cities of over 10 million inhabitants growing from just two in 1950 to 22
by 2015, 17 of which will be located in the developing world.
The symposium highlighted the importance of a globally coordinated approach
and internationally standardized technologies in the creation of new ‘smart
sustainable cities’. Greater integration of ICTs into urban planning will
greatly facilitate opportunities for economic growth and social well-being, from
better access to education and healthcare through to improved prospects of
employment and living standards. The symposium concluded by issuing a call for
stronger advocacy at the international level and for ICT policies to be
integrated into the ongoing dialogues on urban development within the UN and
other organizations.
Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General, ITU, “Rapid urbanization and
high-density populations foment innovation and economic growth but also give
rise to social, economic and environmental challenges, as cities’
infrastructures develop slower than the influx of new inhabitants. ICTs can make
our cities safer, cleaner, and more convenient places to live.”
The event, which was hosted by Telecom Italia, supported by Huawei and
co-organized by ITU and Italy’s Ministry for Economic Development, wrapped-up
with a new
Roadmap calling on ITU to promote the use of ‘smart’
technologies in cities and tasking it with developing a set of key performance
indicators (KPIs) to assess the impact of ICTs in cities and countries.
Speaking at the close of the event, Malcolm Johnson, Director of the
Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU, said the potential of ICTs in
urban development can only be achieved if applications seamlessly interoperate,
regardless of service provider or vendor. This will require the development of
international standards, harmonized frequency spectrum, and the application of
enabling policies and best practices.
He cited examples of how ICTs can ease the pressure of urban life, including
intelligent transport systems to reduce traffic and pollution; open-data
enabling citizens to take charge of their own environments; and universal access
to broadband creating a level playing field of opportunities for the urban
under-privileged.
Participants at the two-day workshop submitted their conclusions to the
Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities (SSC), which met in
the same venue on 8 May. The Focus Group, which is open to all interested
stakeholders, will work towards fulfilling the actions in the Roadmap and report
to its parent group,
ITU-T Study Group 5 on Environment and Climate Change, with
a view to promoting adoption of international standards that will provide the
foundation for Smart Sustainable Cities around the world.
For more information,
please contact:
Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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Toby Johnson
Senior Communication Officer, ITU
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