ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 147 Also involved in this first stage of implementation, is the definition of a baseline identifying the city’s strengths and weaknesses, and defining clearly the priorities and objectives, as the city moves towards the obtaining of smart sustainable city status. This baseline must be defined in an empirical and standardized way through the use of indicators. In this regard, it is important to recognize that for SSC strategies to succeed over time, they need to be well articulated and aligned with existent approaches to urban planning, so as to ensure that smart technologies, infrastructures and city services respond to a broader, more holistic vision of the city. Understanding the urban system, its goals, operation, gaps and opportunities, is a necessary step that should precede, and serve as a foundation for, the implementation of SSC strategies. Identifying the city's purposes and existing urban planning goals, will help determine the priority actions in their path towards becoming a smart sustainable city – i.e., the common solutions the city would want to implement first, the areas of focus in the short, medium and long term. Thus, the identification of city purposes/priorities of action, governance and stakeholders are closely interlinked, and are vital to form a robust basis for the design of SSC. Along with the set of stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities within the SSC framework, decision makers need to define a governance model and leadership strategies required for the city's transformation. Thus, the establishment of a cross‐sectorial body that can provide continuous support to city council officials and decision makers could contribute to a coherent design and implementation of smart and sustainable cities over time. This body could help ensure the articulation of SSC strategies and the city's urban planning goals, as well as facilitate collaboration and strategic alignment between the multiple stakeholders (including city‐level departments and structures at local, municipal and national levels) that need to be involved in the realization of SSC. The ITU‐T FG‐SSC – WG 4 have developed a technical report that identifies key SSC stakeholders, as summarized in Box 2. Further information on the notion and attributes of SSC, and the role of ICTs are available at: FG‐SSC deliverable (2014), Technical Report on “An overview of SSC and the role of ICT”. FG‐SSC deliverable (2014), Technical Report on “Smart sustainable cities: an analysis of definitions”.