Page 13 - Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan

Enabling digital transformation in smart sustainable cities – Master plan

This phase of the Master Plan would also require an overview and understanding of the
cross-dimensional interactions within the urban domain. In this context, the Toolkit on Digital
Transformation for People-Oriented Cities and Communities would play a pivotal role in
providing insights into a diverse range of topics, including, but not limited to, data processing
and management, smart energy management, smart water, digital inclusion and emergency
management.

This Toolkit also contains a dedicated Module on developing a digital transformation strategy
aimed at assisting cities in assessing their smartness-related capabilities, support planning
resources; and in establishing a partnership model to bring key stakeholders and groups into
the city’s digital transformation planning and decision-making framework.

1.2 Phase II: Strategic planning

Progress needs to be made through holistic visions and transversal policies that strengthen the
integrated approach, which should prevail in all SSCs. Therefore, SSC initiatives should consider
cities from a global perspective; otherwise, the effectiveness and scope of such initiatives may
be reduced severely.

In the first step of the cycle, local governments identify an SSC vision and assess the city's
situation in order to establish the relevance and feasibility of becoming an SSC through digital
transformation. This step includes, among others, the following.

• Definition of what kind of city it inspires to be. What are the overall aims of the initiative
and what is the main idea to achieve specific targets?
• Identification of an SSC vision that is in line with the city's identity, political priorities, and
long-term development strategy.
• Establishment of a vision of the connection between the SSC components and its guiding
principle. This is necessary to provide a deeper understanding of the vision of an SSC.
• Documentation of the detailed business process of the main existing city services along
with their interrelationships and dependencies.
• Strengthening the individual and institutional capacities in cities to scale-up skill
development related to urban planning and digital transformation for increased reach,
increased access (for people with disabilities, girls, vulnerable communities), and improved
cost efficiency.
• Collection of relevant data on the status of the types of emerging digital technologies that
have been adopted across sectors, along with their usage at the city level.
• Identification of the existing governance and organizational conditions that would allow
an efficient and effective management of digital solutions.
• Identification of mechanisms for multi-stakeholder involvement, inhabitant engagement,
communication and information sharing throughout the SSC process. Assurance of
the participation of inhabitants and relevant stakeholders in SSC is essential for the
transformation process into an SSC.
• Encouragement of two ways of participation: top-down or bottom-up. A top-down
approach promotes a high degree of coordination, whereas a bottom-up approach allows
more opportunity for the general public to participate directly.

In this phase, it is crucial to understand the city as an ecosystem. This ecosystem should be
created by entities that are involved in the process of development of SSC strategies, including
universities, research centres, companies, public agencies and the general public.

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