New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

A new ITU case study offers an evaluation of the Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities developed by the United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative (U4SSC), an initiative supported 16 United Nations bodies. U4SSC develops practical tools to support cities’ application of digital technologies to become smarter and more sustainable, with the aim of achieving SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.

Pully, a Swiss municipality home to some 18 000 residents, has reported its experience applying the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators to help meet the objectives of its ‘smart city’ strategy. Human, friendly, efficient and practical – these are the values at the core of Pully’s strategy. Practical innovation is Pully’s priority, as it sees technology as a means to strengthen relationships between citizens and help them lead simpler, happier lives.

“I would like to commend Pully for its will to share its experience with other cities around the world,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “This Pully case study follows similar case studies of Dubai, Singapore and Moscow, offering a strong reminder that no two cities are the same. Learning from diverse experiences will be essential to the achievement of the smart city vision.”

The case study – “Pully under the microscope” – was developed in collaboration by the City of Pully, Swisscom and ITU. The case study reports Pully’s self-evaluation of its urban operations, contributing to an international effort to refine the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators based on cities’ experiences with their implementation.

“This case study is the culmination of the huge task of collecting a whole range of data from the city’s various areas of action,” says the Mayor of Pully, Gil Reichen. “But I would like to emphasize in particular the remarkable summarization and formatting of the report, which was done in order to make it as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people.”

The collaboration encouraged by U4SSC has led more than 100 cities worldwide to evaluate their efficiency and sustainability using the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators. The indicators enable city planners to assess how information and communication technologies (ICTs) have improved economic, environmental and social aspects of their cities, according to the parameters set out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.