ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 501 Smart water management in cities Executive Summary From their inception, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have played a pivotal role in the lives of cities. Historically, cities have been generating economic growth by developing institutions and assembling human resource to achieve prosperity, but unfortunately, this was often done at the expense of their water resource base. With rapid urbanization becoming an inevitable fact, cities are facing increasing challenges to secure financially sustainable water and sanitation services for its citizenry. If matched with appropriate and effective ICT solutions, in the form of smart water management (SWM), water issues within cities can be properly addressed and managed. Smart water management (SWM) in cities seeks to alleviate challenges in the urban water management and water sector through the integration of ICT products, solutions and systems in areas of water management and sanitation, as well as stormwater management. Such technologies are adapted to continuously monitor water resources and diagnose problems in the urban water sector, allowing to prioritize and to manage maintenance issues more effectively, as well as to gather data needed to optimize all aspects of a city's water management system and feed information back to citizens, water operators, and technical services of cities. Recognizing the impact that SWM can have at the intersection of water issues, growing cities, and increasing climate change impacts, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) established a Focus Groups on Smart Water Management (FG‐SWM) and Smart Sustainable Cities (FG‐SSC), with the vision that novel ICT‐enabled tools can help empower regions, countries, and cities to overcome water‐related challenges. Consequently, ITU has been at the forefront of emerging explorations on the potential of SWM in the alleviation of global challenges associated with this resource. By promoting the coordinated development and management of urban water, SWM allows cities to strengthen institutional capacities, while striving to improve the sustainability of its natural resource base, particularly with respect to water and the environment. However, careful design and proper coordination among all relevant sectors – from the initial stages of project design, to implementation and assessment – is crucial to realize these opportunities. This Technical Report aims to provide an overview of the key issues involved in SWM within urban settings, including the key water management problems and opportunities faced by cities. By highlighting the role and potential of ICTs, this Technical Report seeks to position SWM as a crucial area of action to achieve the goals set out by smart sustainable cities, and to respond to ongoing and emerging urban challenges, including those posed by climate change. This Technical Report is structured around seven sections. The first section provides a general background of the analysis, highlighting the interconnectedness between water resources and cities, and situates the potential of ICTs and SWM. The second section provides a more in‐depth understanding of urban water issues affecting urban settings, identifying the role of rapid urbanization, water availability and quality, water utilities and infrastructure, climate change impacts and investment needs. The third section explores smart water management in cities, providing an overview of key SWM technologies designed to improve performance, increase efficiency, lower cost and reduce potential environmental impacts, among others. The fourth section links theory to practice by providing selected examples of SWM solutions for urban water