Page 80 - International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Moscow

Implementing ITU-T International Standards to shape Smart Sustainable Cities - The case of Moscow

5.5. Improvements for implementing the U4SSC KPIs on SSC

Moscow’s project was, in part, intended to help the U4SSC KPIs revision process. It is only
through the dedicated efforts of the stakeholders in Moscow and their honest feedback on their
experience in implementing the KPIs that, the strengths and weaknesses of each KPI can be
identified and that the existing data collection and verification processes can be improved.
Continuously updating the definitions and collection methodologies for each KPI will help cities
to better identify the data source and ensure that the data collected are easily verifiable and
comparable against their global peers. Data collected through this process will help improve
data quality, which will in turn facilitate credible input into ITU’s upcoming Global Smart
Sustainable Cities Index (see Box 2 for details).
The Moscow government and its departments and agencies have provided not only the required
data for the U4SSC KPIs, but also valuable feedback on the clarity and effectiveness of each
indicator and the ease of implementing them. The feedback received for each KPI has given ITU
a better understanding of the scope of each KPI and its contribution to achieving the Smart
Moscow 2030 strategy.
Both Moscow and ITU recognize that there is room for improvement in the KPIs. To this end,
Moscow has suggested improving the clarity of the definitions of the KPIs, in order to help cities
to pinpoint the data sources needed for the KPIs and revise the collection methodologies.

5.6. Potential additional U4SSC KPIs on SSC

Moscow has also proposed the following potential new KPIs that would enhance the
participating city’s profile generated through the reporting of the KPIs:
1. Average cost of housing / average salary:

 This indicator could provide information about the affordability of housing in a city.
 High prices for real estate are a serious problem that affects the ability of future
generations to participate fully in a city’s economy. How cities address this issue
affects their long-term sustainability.

2. Volume of online transactions / volume of operations for cash:
 An additional measure of how highly developed the infrastructure is for
e-commerce and how open citizens are to transition to a more digital-based
economy.
3. Changes in average salary year over year:

 A measure of personal economic growth that can then be related to the city’s
inflation rate.

 Growth in average salary is the hallmark of an improving economy and development
of the labour market of a city, but in the case of high inflation, real growth may not
be as optimistic as initially thought.

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