2023

CATALYSINGDIGITALURBAN
FUTURESWhite Paper.

DisclaimerT

he views, opinions, positions and recommendations expressed in this White Paper are solely those of the authors, task
force members and contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U20 or any of its chairs, conveners, andpartners. Many of the references in this White Paper will direct the reader to sites operated by third parties. Neither
the institutions nor the authors of this White Paper have reviewed all of the information on these sites or the accuracy orreliability of any information, data, opinions, advice or statements on these sites.
The White Paper should be referenced as follows:
Urban 20 (2023) White Paper on “Catalysing Digital Urban Futures”, India

Catalysing
DigitalUrban
FuturesWhite Paper

Table of Contents

01
02
03
04
05

Introduction – defining digital urban
futures
Challenges in ensuring sustainabledigital urban transformations
Recommendations for Catalysing
Digital Urban Futures
Key takeaways & way forward
Bibliography

Contributors

U20 ADVISORS
Hitesh Vaidya
Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), India

Kanak Tiwari
Programme Director - Urban Strategy Unit, NIUA, India
Head - U20 Technical Secretariat

Nilesh Prakash Rajadhyaksha
Programme Director - Urban Strategy Unit, NIUA, India
Head - U20 Technical Secretariat

TASK FORCE MEMBERS
Manpreet Singh (Convener)
Chief Programme Officer, National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM), NIUA, India

Abhishek Jain
Chief Product and Technical Officer, Swasth Alliance, India

Ameya Naik
Head, Policy and Advocacy, eGov Foundation, India

Amit Saluja
Senior Director and Centre Head, NASSCOM, India

Gayatri Doctor
Program Chair & Senior Associate Professor, Faculty of Management, CEPT University, India

Himanshu Shekhar
Associate Academic Officer, United Nations University, Institute of Environment and Human Security, Germany

Hrishikesh Balal
Founder and Managing Director, Geo Design Hub Pvt. Ltd., Ireland
6 Urban 20 2023 White PaperPurushottam Kaushik
Head, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum, India

Shashank Ojha
Founding Partner, Digital Tech for Transformation Advisors LLP, India

RESEARCH TEAM
Aparajita Dubey
Senior Programme Associate, NUDM, NIUA, India

Harsh Shah
Deputy Team Leader, U20 Unit, NIUA, India

Pankaj Sharma
Regional Lead, NUDM, NIUA, India

Shelika Arora
Senior Programme Associate, NUDM, NIUA, India

Sundus Usmani
Associate, U20 Unit, NIUA, India

DESIGN TEAM
Kapil Kumar
Associate, Urban Strategy Unit, NIUA, India

Kaveri Bahure
Research Associate, Climate Centre for Cities, NIUA, India

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 7

Abbreviations
AI
API
AR
CDM
CODES
DFFT
DPG
DPGA
DPI
G20
G7
GDC
GDP
GPR
GSOM
HCX
ICT
IGF
IoT
ITU
LDC
LGBTQI
MDS
ML
NIUA
NLP
NUDM
OECD
OSM
PII
SDG
SOP
UNCDF
UNDP
VR
WCRP

Artificial Intelligence
Application Programming Interface
Augmented reality
Climate Data Model
Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability
Data Free Flow with Trust
Digital Public Goods
Digital Public Goods Alliance
Digital Public InfrastructureGroup of 20
Group of Seven
Global Digital Compact
Gross Domestic ProductGovernment Process Reengineering
Growing Self-Organising Map algorithm
Health Claims Data Exchange
Information and Communications Technology
Internet Governance Forum
Internet of Things
International Telecommunication Union
Least Developed Countries
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex
Mobility Data Specification
Machine Learning
National Institute of Urban Affairs
Natural Language Processing
National Urban Digital Mission
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Open Street Map
Personally Identifiable Information
Sustainable Development Goals
Standard Operating Procedure
United Nations Capital Development Fund
United Nations Development Programme
Virtual reality
World Climate Research Programme

8 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 9

01/
Introduction – defining digitalurban futures
The future is digital, defining how we will live, work,
and interact with each other.
Whether technology becomes an empowering force forgood or a sower of more division and exclusion
will depend on the choices we make now.
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, (from his address to the UNDP Executive Board, 2023)

C

ities have emerged as vital drivers of sustained andaccelerated economic growth, coinciding with therapid transformations brought about by industrial
revolutions. The ‘digital’ revolution or the fourth industrial
revolution has completely changed the way human beings
live, akin to all the previous industrial revolutions. For the
first time, the power of technology can be harnessed
towards integration of the physical, digital, and biologicalrealms to create universal benefits. Digital technology has
been called the ‘great equaliser’ that can shape a humancentric society.
Digital Transformation is a prominent priority highlighted
under India’s G20 Presidency and Japan’s G7 Presidency
for harnessing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)1 andpromoting Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT)2 respectively.
Given that cities contribute to more than 80 percent of the
global GDP (World Bank, 2023), the strategic utilisationof digital technologies in urban management can drive
sustainable growth and foster innovation. Thus, “Catalysing
Digital Urban Futures” has been identified as a priority
under Urban 20, one of the engagement groups underG20. The deliberations in all three forums recognise that
it is essential to address common governance challenges,
placing particular emphasis on bridging the digital divide
and nurturing the advancement of knowledge societies tohave global impacts.
The term “digital future” refers to the ever-evolving

landscape of technology and its impact on various aspectsof our lives. It encompasses the ongoing advancements
in digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI),Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain,
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and more.
However, the exact manifestation may vary depending
on contexts, choices of technology, aspects of inclusion,technological advancements and societal changes. In theurban context, Digital Urban Futures refers to the future
trajectory and potential outcomes of application of digitaltechnologies and innovations in the context of urban
development. It encompasses the evolving landscapeof urban areas as they embrace and integrate digitaladvancements to create smarter, more sustainable, andmore connected cities. While cities have been utilising digitaltechnology towards more effective operations and delivery,some of the emerging applications of digital technology inthe urban context are the following:
A. Simulation Technologies support in simulating
scenarios to model urban environments. Utilisingadvanced visualisation techniques, planners, designers
and decision makers are enabled to make informed
decisions. These techniques have been proven to work
very well for new and green-field developments. Cities
across the world are also using these for projection ofenvironmental impacts, leading to better evaluations
and environmentally sensitive planning. Combined withdata processing and analytics such as AI and predictive

1 DPI are a set of shared digital building blocks, such as applications, systems, and platforms, powered by interoperable open standards or specifications
with principles of inclusive, foundational, accountable. They are accessible to everyone and facilitate data exchange and enable essential society-wide
functions and benefits by inviting participation from all relevant actors in the ecosystem. The benefits of DPIs span across all 17 SDGs.
2 DFFT refers to a set of rules, regulations and policies to enable trustworthy cross-border data exchange and invigorate the digital economy

10 Urban 20 2023 White Paperanalysis, ML etc. simulation can support in monitoring,
management and mitigation of effects of disaster risks
and impacts in the face of escalating extreme events(Satterthwaite & Dodman, 2023) such as heat waves,
flooding, heavy precipitation and droughts, etc. Further,creation of integrated city operations centres help insustaining the application of simulation and integrationof technology for better predictive capacities at city level.
B. Cities are generating and collating data every second
from numerous sources and in multiple ways. With
adoption of digital systems for operations, service
delivery and monitoring, this becomes faster and morevoluminous and cities can have very rich datasetsthat develop transactionally, leading to creation of Big
Data (Oracle India. n.d.). Once cities overcome issues ofmanaging such voluminous data, big data can be utilised
to address issues with urban systems that were notunderstood before and help a city in serving its people
better.
C. Promoting cross-border multi-stakeholder approaches
for the development of international technical standards
for emerging technology, especially AI is critical (Komiya& Mukherjee, 2023). In order to promote responsible
AI, countries would have to be respectful of legallybinding frameworks, and recognise the importance ofprocedures that ensure transparency, accountability,
open and fair processes, privacy and inclusiveness.
D. A self-building AI framework capable of providing
self-learning and self-adapting capabilities within
an unsupervised learning paradigm (Alahakoon et al.,2020) such as the Growing Self-Organizing Map (GSOM)
algorithm can be integrated in city functions. The GSOM
algorithm and its extensions can be used by cities todevelop a ‘positioning’ mechanism for local incidents
and detected patterns. This can provide a Global Position
Map for the local on-site applications and for integrated
global processing where appropriate.
Cities have to prioritise the digital imperative3 in theirgovernance not only as a driver of sustainable urban
transformation but also as a constant catalyst that enables
cities to keep up with evolving developments in technology,
demographics, economics, sociology, and other relevant
areas. City governments face mounting pressure to addressincreasingly complex problems around planning andmanagement and efficient delivery of government services4.
Therefore, it is crucial to ensure responsive and collaborative
governance of cities with digitalisation as a key priority inurban development plans and cities assuming the role ofincubators for innovation and digital transformation acrossall sectors.
Cities have been unable to fully capitalise on the socialand economic advantages of urbanisation and transfer

the resulting benefits to their citizens. Limited resources aswell as technical capacities are two consistent issues thathinder this ability leading to inequalities social segregation,
particularly in terms of access to essential necessities,
which is exacerbated by the digital divide. By placing thedigital imperative at the centre of city governance, digitally
empowered cities can be created with a holistic view of city
functions and resources being utilised. Moreover, such cities
can effectively leverage technology towards unlocking ofsilos, optimisation of resources, enhancing sustainability
measures, fostering inclusive and resilient urban
development, driving collaboration and forming testbeds forinnovation.
The discourse around “smart cities” places digital innovation
at the core of sustainable urban development, by aiming
to construct urban environments that are not only more
efficient but also highly liveable (OECD, 2019). One of themost significant possibilities unleashed through digitaltransformation is integrated city operations, whereinter-connected systems, common and shared databases
and data-driven platforms shall enable seamless allocation,
coordination, and management of various urban functions
and assets. Connectivity also enables cities to function as
a network promoting peer-to-peer learning opportunities
and adapting each other’s learnings to be relevant in theirown context.
Cities can themselves become platforms for knowledge
exchange and collaboration given the rise of online
knowledge networks and communities. Further, digitaltransformation may also empower cities to serve as ‘Urban
Living Labs’ or ‘Innovation Incubators’ for testing, refining
and scaling up emerging technologies and data-driven
solutions to effectively address urban challenges. Thesepossibilities can be encouraged by exploring DFFT, DPIs,
interoperable solutions, and open-source technologies as
key enablers. In fact, the option or flexibility to adopt any
digital technology as per the relevant context of a city/
country is essential for digitalisation to truly become acatalyst in achieving sustainable urban futures.
Information and communications technology (ICT) andadvanced interconnectedness also entail significant risks,such as misinformation, misuse of data, inequitable accessto digital initiatives, cyber-crimes, breach of privacy, andprejudicial and monopolistic business approaches, amongst
others. However, not utilising digital technologies toenhance urban functioning and myriad urban complexities
would not be advisable in today’s time and age. Thus, toensure cross-cutting technological interventions in all
domains and build safeguards against all these threats,
it is essential that there is inter-agency coordination and

3 The digital imperative revolves around maximising the potential of technology to achieve greater outcomes with fewer resources, enabling anorganisation to stand out and strengthen its resilience.
4 Government services include Government-to-Citizen (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B), Government-to-Government (G2G)

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 11

that suitable regulatory, governance, and educational
responses are garnered. It is imperative to enable cities
to mindfully leverage digital technology to become smart
and sustainable and more productive, inclusive, safe andresilient.

In this digital era of rapid urbanisation and technologicaladvancements, the journey towards digital urban futures
is a long-term transformation process that requires
ongoing collaboration, investment, and the engagementof all stakeholders. Digital Urban Futures hold thepotential to transform cities into more efficient, liveable,
and sustainable environments. By embracing digitaltechnologies, data-driven approaches, citizen engagement,
and innovation, cities can tackle urban challenges, improve
quality of life, and create vibrant and resilient urban
communities. The figure given below is a diagrammatic
representation of the ecosystem of digital urbanism.

Ecosystem of digital urbanism
Source: Authors’ depiction

12 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

02/
Challenges in ensuring
sustainable digital urban
transformations
Looking to the future,
two seismic shifts will shape the 21st century:
the climate crisis,and digital transformation.
- Secretary General’s Nelson Mandela Lecture: “Tackling the Inequality Pandemic: A New Social Contract for a New Era”

C

ities operate as intricate ecosystems characterisedby numerous interdependencies, making themsusceptible to challenges and risks when undertaking
transformative initiatives such as digitalisation of the urban
systems and services. It is essential to be cognizant of thechallenges and negative externalities that would arise out of
application of new processes. At local level, such challenges
surface where services and infrastructure are seldom
able to match those that are planned and implemented
through a top-down strategy and consequently, manifest
as vulnerabilities or barriers. These barriers are experienced
not only in city functions but in all geographies and sectors
where economically, infrastructurally, and digitally matureentities or systems are intermixed with ones that are yet toachieve the same level of developmental maturity. Different
countries and cities may encounter different challenges andin varying degrees across various phases of digitalisationfrom adoption to operationalisation to ensuring security andequity of its use and application. Many of these issues arealso entrenched in the design of the existing institutionaland governance structures, which is unsuitable for quick
adaptation to a digital mode of functioning. Thus, to achievesystematic and phased digitalisation at city level, it isessential that national and sub-national policies are alignedwith the local needs.
Another aspect that would facilitate resolution of a numberof challenges is multi-stakeholder buy-in and coordination,
especially between the government and the private sector.
This partnership is crucial for successful digitalisation.
While private sector entities can make long-term

investments in research and development, as well as
swiftly commercialising and implementing technologies,
the government at various levels can implement effective
regulations, align funding cycles to promote technologicaladvancements in critical areas, and ensure seamlessconnectivity and adoption of technology-enabled systems
by users, citizens and workforce. Any technology can only
be impactful if it is thoughtfully deployed.
Effectively leveraging digital technologies for sustainable
and inclusive urban development requires a comprehensive
understanding of the inherent challenges. Hence, it iscritical to sensitise decision makers as well as the citizens
about human and institutional behaviour in interaction
with technology. This will inform multiple strategic choices
including creation and effective use of digital infrastructure,
choice of relevant and fit-for-purpose technologies, choiceof programs and priorities to drive development, and choiceof regulatory and governance mechanisms to ensure
oversight and risk.
Figure on next page summarises key gaps, key strategic
aspects and opportunities for cities while adopting
sustainable digital transformation. Responses to thesechallenges will come from governments at multiple levels:
city, regional, country, and possibly global / multilateral;and shall also have to involve a mix of actors outside
government, including private industry as well as civilsociety or citizens’ organisations.

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 13

Key gaps, key strategic aspects and opportunities for cities while adopting sustainable digitaltransformation
Source: Authors’ depiction

14 Urban 20 2023 White PaperBy leveraging existing strategies where applicable, valuable
time and resources can be saved. Some of the key barriers
while adopting digital transformation are specifically related
to the aspects mentioned below:
A. Digital infrastructure and universal connectivity:
Approximately 3.7 billion people do not have access tothe internet presently, especially in the Least Developed
Countries (LDC) (United Nations, n.d.) that have on anaverage only 19% people connected to the internet(United Nations, 2021). The major challenge faced bycountries is the establishment of national, sub-national
and local digital infrastructure; and achieve universal andaffordable digital connectivity.
B. Digital Divide is a huge barrier to achieving digitalurban futures that are also inclusive. It is essential
to acknowledge that concepts of digital access andinclusion are significantly influenced by society andcontext and thus defining these terms is essential atnational level for all sub-national and local governments
to be guided by a universal code of conduct in thisregard. Recognising the reality of digital divides, cities
must take into consideration the impact of any proposed
technology on various groups of residents. Factors
such as political and climate crises, terrorism, territorialconflicts, forced displacement and economic inequality
all amplify the digital divide making access to digital
opportunities even more difficult5. It is important to notethat facilitating digital access to services and goods
should not jeopardise equitable access that may havebeen possible in non-digital formats.
C. Digital Human Rights are often not incorporated whileprovisioning IT initiatives. “Digital” rights are interpreted
as existing human rights which need to be protected in
the context of digital technologies as physical and digitalspaces are increasingly intertwined (UN-Habitat, 2022b).
While digitalisation has led to advancement of humanrights in many ways, misuse of digital technologies leads
to violation of human rights online as well as offline.
The UN urges all countries to ensure that digital humanrights are at the heart of all regulatory frameworks
and legislations related to digital technologies (United
Nations, 2020b). This is especially imperative in thecase of digital technologies being utilised for facilitating
access to basic services and social schemes. In suchcases if human rights and inclusion is not safeguarded, it
can result in lack of trust in the government as well as ofdigital systems and processes.

D. Government process reengineering (GPR) is oneof the requisite steps to adopt digital systems since
resistance to change and inertia of existing bureaucraticsystems are prime deterrents to a successful digitaltransformation. Many government processes arerooted in traditional, paper-based approaches, making
it difficult to transition to digital systems seamlessly.
These approaches can hinder the agility and flexibility
required for transformation initiatives. GPR ensuresa systemic change and promotes ease of doing
business by streamlining processes and workflows,
thus bypassing administrative hurdles. This requires
careful examination and reengineering of existing
administrative functions to eliminate redundant or
time-consuming tasks. Moreover, ensuring inclusivity
and accessibility while reengineering existing workflows
as well as procurement processes is essential to preventthe creation of digital divides and ensure equitable
access. Addressing these challenges and concerns
through strategic planning, robust change management,
and continuous evaluation are key parameters to enablesuccessful GPR. There are three essential aspects to takecare of at city level:
 Institutional restructuring – The institutional set-up
and staffing in cities presents a significant challenge.
It is essential to transform the organisational
structure to ensure that individuals with a strong
understanding of technology are placed indecision-making positions and data scientists/
experts are hired by various levels of government.
 Capacity Building - The presence of leaders
who understand technology greatly facilitates
the adoption of digital initiatives. There is a lackof digital capacity at all levels and this barrierneeds to be addressed for government officials toremain relevant in a digital age. Targeted capacity
creation and capacity building has to be ensured
for comprehensive digital transformation. Citizens
also lack the knowledge and skills to access andfully utilise the benefits of digital technologies. Thus,
cities must formulate programmes and schemes toorient people towards using the digital provisions
effectively.
 Earmarking finances for adoption of digitalsystems and innovations – The existing municipal
budgets hardly account for costs related to digital
infrastructure and services that the city may berequiring. This leads to sporadic investments bycities on singular and disconnected technologies
and various systems remain disconnected andincompatible. This lack of interoperability ofsystems and technologies leads to inefficiencies ingovernance and service delivery.

5 This is especially true of already-marginalised communities, since the digital divide is likely to be replicated and amplified along the lines of thesepre-existing marginalisations’. These challenges especially affect women, migratory populations, older generations, people with disabilities and indigenous
populations. Additionally, individuals lacking the necessary digital skills get excluded from the digitalized economies if proper digital literacy and upskilling
efforts are not included in the strategy.

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 15

E. Data management and governance: Multiple
challenges are faced at all levels of gvernments in thisregard. Cities with efficient data management can drive
governance decisions more effectively. Presently, thedata being generated and owned across departments,
agencies and institutions is in non-standardised
formats and stored in silos. Lack of standardisation andabsence of common and shared data bases leads toinefficiencies. While many cities are adopting powerfulsystems and platforms, most lack the required internal
skill sets and capacity. There are also risks and concerns
over security and privacy. Municipalities commonly
become targets of cyber breaches that can be mitigatedby having robust ecosystems. In 2020, municipalities
were the target of 44 per cent of ransomware attacks
globally (Verizon, 2022). With enormous data being
constantly generated, it is also essential for cities tomanage it, which includes processes for proactively
collecting, organising, protecting, storing, and sharing
data. Following are a few major challenge areas related
to data management and governance: Appropriate and effective data generation:
While every digital application used by a person iscollecting data of some kind, the sensitivity, protocols
and existing models for ensuring proper consent
for data collection and sharing are inadequate6.
Additionally, data collection has to be targeted toobtain information that would eventually lead todecision making that would positively impact amajority of stakeholders/ people. This is not the casein many cities especially in developing countries as
there is lack of systematic methodology or processes
to carry this out effectively. In fact, the funds andskills required for effective data collection are also
inadequate as an IT cadre including positions for data
scientists or statisticians are not traditionally part ofa city’s administrative set-up.
 Data protection, data privacy and data
security:  Rapid digitalisation and multi-stakeholder
involvement results in government, police forces,
and private agencies having unfettered accessto Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of theusers7. Historically, such data has been misused tosignificantly exclude marginalised communities(Amnesty International, 2021; 2022). This results ininequitable access to services and amenities. The
challenge lies in effectively managing the securecollection, utilisation, and sharing of data. As
cybersecurity is a cross-border and intersectoral

subject, lack of national regulatory frameworks will
hamper strengthening cybersecurity measures. The
exponential surge in digitisation of critical services
and infrastructure exposes residents to various
vulnerabilities and risks. Countries have lost trillionsof dollars to data breaches and billions in lastingdamage to IT hardware necessary for key societal
and economic functions (ITU, 2019; UNCDF, 2022).
Repeated instances of breach in cybersecurity,
ransomware attacks, theft of individual data, andcompromised devices are all examples of such risks
and costs. For the users, this results in reluctancein adoption of digital initiatives, services and goods
while also impeding digital wellbeing and trust intechnology.
 Leveraging Big Data: Massive volumes of data are
generated every second, and most cities are hardly
strategising data harvesting. Application of humanresources as well as AI to become digitally smart,
providing more effective services and predictive
systems that can warn in advance about various
risks, thus helping save unnecessary loss of life,
time, and money. However, the large volumes ofstructured, semi-structured and unstructured
data from millions of devices and sources, haslittle or no use unless it is analysed and processed
into actionable information. In fact, this ‘infodemic’or abundance of both accurate and inaccurate
information (World Health Organisation, 2022) tends
to reduce its quality and people’s trust in its validity. It
hinders the capacity of users to identify trustworthysources of information and compromises the impactof evidence-based responses that could be provided
by governments and service providers. Big Data
Analytics is the answer but is being utilised moreby private sector entities to improve products andservices rather than by government agencies. The
concept of smart cities has been debated in one
strand of literature that argues that data can provide
cities the power to put citizens under surveillanceand exercise control on various aspects of urban
living (Kandt, J and Batty, M, 2021). This is however,an extreme view, as cities, especially in developing
countries lack the resources and capacities to process
the data being collected by various applications
and devices into usable information. In order to use
the 5Vs8 of Big Data effectively, city governments
would need extensive institutional restructuring andcapacity building.

6 Even if data collection / use / sharing frameworks are in place, weak or redundant data protection systems still expose individuals to harm and risk.
Unauthorised or non-consensual sharing or disclosure of data can disproportionately affect religious and ethnically diverse groups, as well as marginalisedcommunities, including LGBTQI+ communities.
7 An individual’s activities, movement, and personal associations can be tracked, both spatially and in digital domains, potentially without their knowledge
or consent. Whether due to lack of awareness, lack of meaningful options, or lack of policy / regulatory oversight and response, access depends on suchprivacy infringements, leaving individuals unable to meaningfully opt out of surveillance.
8 Volume (size and quantity of the data); Velocity (rapidity with which data is generated and continuous flow of information); Variety (innumerous
heterogenous sources of data and types of data); Veracity (accuracy and quality of data that is impacted by the ‘variety’ resulting in inconsistencies); Value(how much of the data can be converted into usable and actionable resource)

16 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

 Balancing digital dependence is being experienced
by cities with advanced digitalisation. In sectors
and services where the original analogue systems
are completely digitalised and dependent on
software, the associated tacit knowledge and humanimprovising is also completely replaced. This has
resulted in severe disruptions such as interruptionof train services and subway systems coming
to a standstill as the software controlling thesesystems malfunctions. The past decade has seena rise in such incidents. Townsend (2013) has given
numerous examples of varying scale to describe
this dependence for e.g. automated toilet flushes
and crashing of the till of the supermarket brings
all shopping to a standstill as products cannot bescanned and payments cannot be made. Morerecent literature sees debates about complete digital
control versus a hybrid model and argues that whilst
digitalisation takes care of myriad of inefficiencies
in urban systems, it also makes the city services
vulnerable and dependent, exposed to security
breaches, viruses and crashes. Networked anddistributed systems and services that are software
enabled can face catastrophic consequences due tosoftware malfunction. They also face the challengeof having to be routinely patched and updated tocope with new contingencies. Thus, with systems
becoming ever more complicated, interconnected
and dependent on software, the challenge of
producing stable, robust and secure devices andinfrastructures increases.

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 17

03/
Recommendations for
Catalysing Digital Urban
Futures
Education and digital technology mustbe two great enablers and equalisers.
-Secretary-General’s Nelson Mandela Lecture: “Tackling the Inequality Pandemic:
A New Social Contract for a New Era”

C

ities of the future shall rely heavily upon integrating
digital technologies into their operations, governanceand planning to enhance the efficiency of the urban
systems and enhance the quality of life of citizens. Given thepromise that digital technology can generally be low-cost,
low-energy, equitable, time-saving as well as highly
effective, its adoption is inevitable in cities. It is expectedthat cities will change their functioning from being reactive
to immediate challenges and problems to being proactiveby utilising data to understand needs of people and by using
predictive technology for increasing preparedness andbecome more transparent, efficient and resilient. Leveraging
digital technologies also presents an opportunity toaccelerate efforts towards sustainable urban development.
Thus, in the future, creating integrated and interoperable
digital urban management systems shall become the norm
for cities to fulfill existing and forecasted needs, optimise
utilisation of resources, ensure effective provisioning ofurban services, mitigate climate change impacts and build
risk resilience. While digitalisation is a necessity, it can only
play the role of a facilitator of processes and an instrument
to provide solutions for systemic problems. Simultaneously, it
is important to develop and implement multiplex strategies(i.e., across all levels of governance and in collaboration withprivate sector and civil society), and identify and address
potential gaps and fragmentation in global technology
governance (G7 2023 Hiroshima Summit, 2023).
The UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel for Digital
Cooperation convened from 2018-2019, and was informed
by a series of roundtable discussions with key stakeholders
from Governments, the private sector, civil society,18 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

international organisations, academic institutions, thetechnical community, and other relevant stakeholders (UN,2020). The Panel recommended strengthening of the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) and collective effort towards buildinga co-governance and digital commons architecture. The
Panel set out eight key actions to enable digital cooperation
as shown in the figure below.
Key recommendations of this white paper to enable urban
digital transformation are:
A. Facilitating international cooperation ontechnological diffusion and creation of collaborative
global protocols for digital governance - Digitalisation
has immense benefits and can enable an interconnected
global knowledge network and facilitate seamlessly
connected trade and economic production. Ensuring
standardisation and protocols at the global level isnecessary to enable universal and equitable distributionof the benefits of the digital economy.
 Promoting peer-to-peer learning environments andleveraging open databases to gain information andsharing tools is a key recommendation. This will help
countries and cities refer use-cases for how to use
existing tools for planning, design and investment
in digitalisation. Leveraging existing platforms suchas G7, G20, IGF, ITU, GDC, DPGA, CODES, etc., to workon global digital cooperation and innovation is theway forward. Global networks like UCLG and C40
facilitate peer-to-peer learning among cities toaddress climate change. Similar platforms can becreated for knowledge sharing on digital strategies
and to to foster collaborations between government
agencies, private sector entities, academicEight key areas of action for enabling digital cooperation
Source: Adapted from the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel for Digital Cooperation, 2018-19

institutions, and community organisations andprovide opportunities of partnering with interested
organisations such as start-ups and promote newideas in the ecosystem to drive innovation evenacross sectors inventions.
 Creating collaborative guidelines and standards
for data security, data sharing, digital public goods
and digital infrastructure – for seamless technology
diffusion and to maximise benefits of digitalisation
globally, such guidelines are imperative. Creation ofan ‘alliance’ represented by all countries would be theway forward. Such multi-stakeholder efforts have to
be initiated towards creation of digital public goods:
open source software, open data, open AI models,
open standards and open content (UN, 2020), while
taking into consideration safety and privacy issues.
 Ensuring global standards on digital inclusion anddigital human rights – Digital divides whether among
nations or within countries among people onlyreflect and at times amplify the existing social andeconomic inequalities. In order to ‘not leave anyone
behind’, global cooperation is required in this regard
to understand the multiple typologies and contexts
of digital divides and create collaborative policies
and guidelines to mitigate the same. It is essential

to develop a global understanding and agreement
on digital human rights and formulate regulatory
frameworks on aspects such as right to internet
access, content governance, data protection, digital
ID, surveillance etc.
B. Creating a favourable national, sub-national andlocal digital governance ecosystem - Concerted policy
reforms will be necessary at national level to devolvecertain specific powers and functions to sub-nationaland city governments given that ‘digitalisation’ is arelatively new process. Increasing digital capacities byskilling and upskilling across all levels in the ecosystem
to promote uptake and boost innovation, including
by ensuring widely-accessible quality education (G72023 Hiroshima Summit, 2023) and life-long upskilling
opportunities. At sub-national level, the focus should beon instituting an oversight mechanism to ensure local
public authorities at local levels are effectively delivering
their responsibilities.
 At the local level, formalising revenue instruments
for strengthening finances of local governments
are key enablers for the cities to contextualise
solutions which are sensitised towards local issues.
A robust, well-informed, and well-resourced city
Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 19

administration is desirable to enable sustainable
and contextual urban digital transformations.
Adopting a City Systems Approach shall promote a
connected, data-driven ecosystem that enhances
urban life, improves service delivery, and addresses
key challenges faced by cities making them more
efficient, sustainable, and responsive to the needs oftheir citizens.
 Reforms in procurement processes and onboarding
methods are needed to help all levels of governancebuild new partnerships and break vendor lock-ins.
Having the agility in procurement processes provides
the countries and regional9 governments with thepower to onboard private players to implement
solutions effectively at speed and scale.
 Reforms in financing frameworks to foster
sustainable financing of digital infrastructure(including data) and digital transformations throughinnovative financing mechanisms such as digitalfinancing, outcome or results-based financing
for optimal use of the resources, innovationand growth. Countries and their cities may also
allocate dedicated budgets to support innovation.
Investments in digital transformations with a circularand inclusive focus rooted in the country’s context
shall support long term development. At a national
level, these could especially focus on convergence ininvestments across various sectors to solve common
issues10. Envisaging a circular strategy shall ensure
streamlined implementation ensuring last-mileconnectivity. Further, providing the regional orcity level an opportunity to localise and add to thenational strategy, developed with stakeholders acrossthe quadruple helix (Curley, 2015) ensures a richer
and more inclusive variation and implementation.
Moreover, incorporating innovative private concepts
and private investment into this equation fosters
rapid and widespread transformations.
 Provision or upgradation to a robust digital
infrastructure integrated with vertical and horizontal
value chains in the urban ecosystem. Inclusivetechnologies and uninterrupted and affordable digital
services as public utilities for all may be a mandatethat could be adopted by countries, especiallythose with lower levels of ICT infrastructure anddigitalisation in place today. An approach that
focuses on shared building blocks and innovation
across the ecosystem, with global/ multilateralcollaboratives supporting the development of suchbuilding blocks, capabilities, and frameworks may be
adopted.

 Creation of appropriate capacities and building
digital skills of senior administrators and government
employees has to be done on priority basis byproviding them training and resources to equipthem with the knowledge and tools to effectively
leverage digital technologies and contribute to thetransformation efforts. Promoting peer-to-peer
learning among administrators is necessary tolearn from tried and tested use-cases and gain
information on tools, processes and investments
C. Enabling policies, strategies and frameworks for
digitalisation - This integrates aspects of digitaltechnologies such as circularity, agency11, and power
dynamics for all domains are the foundation to
successful digital transformation and can keep pace withemerging technologies and unregulated development.
These regulatory frameworks and policies should also
be technology agnostic and focus on intended outcomes
rather than prescribing specific technologies, as thelatter keep changing rapidly. This approach allows
for flexibility and encourages innovation by avoiding
unnecessary restrictions on emerging technologies.
Furthermore, policies should be inclusive and cater todiversity.
 It is recommended that countries develop theirrespective National Digital Policies that align withestablished global guidelines and standards. These
policies can be tailored to suit the specificrequirements of each country with pathways and thepace of technological transition and digitalisation
adapted as per the development trajectories of every
country. The national policies can further promulgate
policies at sub-national and local level with more
specific regulations and standards, oriented towards
local needs and ensuring that investments are notwasted on outdated, expensive, or underperforming
infrastructure.
 A framework for data management and strategy
oversight may also be developed by countries
at national level, adopting and adapting existing
global protocols for the same. This framework
would comprise organisation and implementation
strategy for policies and regulations, institutions andprocesses, and people (roles and responsibilities)
which outline and enforce rules of engagement,rights, and accountabilities for the effective
management and governance of data assets (UNDESA, 2022) and are inclusive and respectful ofdiversity. Such frameworks could also be adopted byorganisations. A good example of this is the United
Nations Secretary-General’s Data Strategy.

9 Regional/ state/ provincial level is a subdivision of government, which shares political, fiscal and economic powers with a central government. In a federal
government, the regional level is represented by a state government. In unitary states, a regional government is known as a provincial government.
10 One example could be addressing SDG 6 - ensuring water security and clean sanitation which cuts across urban, climate, energy, health withtechnology being the common denominator.
11 Agency can be seen as an embedded capacity for reorientation of (networks of) systemic components.

20 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

UN’s Data Strategy: A
Roadmap to Data-Driven
Transformation

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Data Strategy is a comprehensive frameworkthat aims to enhance data availability, quality, analysis, and utilization for informed
decision-making and effective implementation of SDGs. Key objectives of thestrategy include promoting data-driven decision-making, fostering data innovation,
strengthening partnerships for data collaboration, ensuring data governance andethics, building data capacity, and emphasising data disaggregation for inclusivity. The
roadmap, consisting of 30 immediate next steps and over 120 recommendations, aims
to foster stronger enablers and nurture better capabilities. By adhering to the principles
and recommendations outlined in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Data Strategy,organisations can navigate the complex landscape of data management, utilisation, andgovernance, ultimately progressing towards the transformational stage in data maturityby 2030 (United Nations, 2020a).
More information is available at https://www.un.org/en/content/datastrategy/index.shtml

D. Ensuring equitable digital urban transformations Establishing appropriate regulatory and governanceframeworks that balance innovation, privacy, security,and ethical considerations are essential to ensurethat the benefits of digitalisation are maximised
while mitigating potential risks. Countries should
formulate Digital Transformational Strategies
incorporating aspects of digital human rights, digital
equitable inclusivity, digital access and consent aswell as preventive and mitigative measures for digital
violence. At the global and country levels, aspects ofstrengthening cyber capability and developing dedicatedcomputer emergency response teams (ITU, 2019)
may be included as part of any digitisation initiative.
Further, these transformational strategies should be
synchronised with existing policies and actions to
reduce digital gaps; apply a gender lens to all digitalinterventions, and; be flexible to include solutions for
migrants, people in conflict-affected situations and at
Digital Urban Innovation:
Copenhagen andBarcelona

the time of disasters. These should advocate for a hybridintersectional, human rights-based, systemic approachto advancing meaningful digital access and consent
during rollout of transformation initiatives.
 Regional or city levels could identify priority areasfrom the broad agendas of the Transformational
Strategy and evolve/ contextualise them in aphased manner with special focus on promoting
digital access, rights, and agency to eliminate
inequalities. Participatory governance may also
be included as a key feature to engage citizens in
the decision-making process and leverage theirinsights and feedback to ensure that data-driven
decisions align with the needs and aspirationsof the community. This aspect can enhance thecapacity of city systems to design and implement
locally-relevant responses as was experienced in
Copenhagen and Barcelona, described in the box
below.

Copenhagen, Denmark, commits to sustainable urban development through circularand inclusive digital transformations. “Copenhagen Solutions Lab,” a digital platform,
enables citizen participation in shaping the city’s future. It fosters collaborationand innovation for urban challenges, including transportation, energy, and waste
management. This approach promotes a circular economy mindset and empowers
citizens to contribute to the city’s development (State of Green, n.d.).More information isavailable at https://stateofgreen.com/en/solution-providers/copenhagen-solutions-lab/
Barcelona, Spain has implemented a comprehensive strategy known as “Barcelona
Digital City” to bridge the digital divide and promote digital access, rights, and agency
for all citizens. The city has focused on ensuring affordable and high-speed internet
access throughout the city, including in low-income neighbourhoods. Additionally,
Barcelona has established digital inclusion programs that provide training and resources
to marginalised communities, empowering them to fully participate in the digital era.
Barcelona City Council’s “Smart City Fund” encourages collaboration between public
and private sectors to develop innovative solutions that address urban challenges andpromote digital transformation in the city. It has also established policies and guidelines
to safeguard personal data and ensure transparency and accountability in the collection
and use of data by the city and its partners (Ajuntament de Barcelona, n.d.). Moreinformation is available at:https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/digital/sites/default/files/pla_barcelona_digital_city_in.pdf
https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/digital/en

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 21

E. Enhancing ability and agility to adopt emerging
technologies - New technologies have emergedthat are often associated with disruption and havethe potential to fundamentally alter processes andoperations to revolutionalise governance and service
delivery through digitalisation. However, these are still
evolving and the knowledge of their application andpotential is restricted to a few individuals/ agencies.
Cities and other levels of government have to increase
their risk appetite and find ways to encourage
experimentation with such technologies to find theirmost suitable solutions to barriers in service delivery.
In the context of cities, some of the emerging andpotentially disruptive technologies include spatial
technologies, new user interfacing capabilities (NLPs,
touch, computer vision), data processing and analytics(machine learning /Artificial Intelligence (AI) / robotics,
open data, data exchanges), simulation technologies(virtual worlds, digital twins, cyber physical systems),
distributed databases (block chain), etc.
 Cities and other levels of government are seldom
characterised as ‘tech-savvy’ and generally tend
to hire consultants to advise on adoption of newtechnology. While that can be done, the city stillneeds the in-house know-how to understandwhether the solution provided by the consultant
would be suitable or not. Every government agency
must create special units/ divisions/ positions with
substantial know-how about emerging technologies
and the wherewithal to adopt and adapt them to city
functions and operations.
 As governments become equipped to adopt,
implement or discard emerging technologies
based on their needs, checks and balances areneeded in the governance system to ensure thatsystems retain the shared democratic values suchas inclusivity, transparency, accountability, safety
and security, protection from online harassment,
hate and abuse, and respect for privacy and humanrights, fundamental freedoms, and the protection of
personal data (G7 2023 Hiroshima Summit, 2023).
 Any government agency will become more
comfortable with adopting new technology once
they are able to assess the benefits of leveraging
technology already employed in urban systems

such as those that can identify patterns, predict
trends, optimise resource allocation, and support
decision-making processes across various urban
sectors.
F. Formulating and implementing a Digital Strategy atcity level – This should include a multiplex arrangement
to ensure a robust technology adoption roadmap taking
into account all the challenges. The transition would also
involve testing through pilots and proofs of concept aswell as making the right choices of technologies (opensource, proprietary solutions etc), approaches (agile,
waterfall model, etc.) before scaling up the solutions. The
strategy must recommend innovative financing models
for creating and maintaining digital infrastructure andthat cities adopt existing and available DPGs such as
standards, data models and APIs, digital blueprints,
specifications, software components developed
globally or at national level. This could substantiallyreduce investment and time for development anddeployment of solutions and also provide the benefit ofcontextualization of the existing solutions. Amsterdam
is a good example for implementing such a strategy as
given below.
 Encouraging interoperability through open-source
transparent protocols, open Application
Programming Interface (APIs), interoperable,
non-discriminatory data platforms / solutions toeliminate functional bottlenecks and maximise thebenefits of innovations should be prioritised in theCity Digital Strategy. Collaborative developmentof technical and urban services standards, data
models and APIs, data sharing protocols, blueprint
and architecture and technical solutions as
Digital Public Goods (DPGs)12 to facilitate ease of
sharing, analyses and quantitative and qualitative
comparisons in order to inform specific levels ofgovernments and services should be encouraged.
This shall also optimise consumption of resources
by promoting interoperability and contributing to
GPR by streamlining the workflows and processes
between various city departments. The box below
presents examples of various standards, open APIs,
interoperable, non-discriminatory data platforms /solutions being used around the world.

Amsterdam’s
LeadingRole software, open data, open AI models, open standards, and open content that adhere to privacy and other12 Digitalpublic goods
are open-source
Amsterdam, Netherlands invests in circular and inclusive digital transformations.
applicablelaws andbest
practices, do no harm by design, and help attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
in CircularandInclusive
Digital Transformations

1“City-zen,” a digital platform, enables real-time energy monitoring and management
by residents. Leveraging smart grids and digital solutions, Amsterdam cuts energy
consumption, increases renewable energy use, and engages citizens in sustainable
practices, positioning Amsterdam as a leading city in sustainable urban development(Euro Cities, 2019).
More information is available at http://www.cityzen-smartcity.eu/wp-content/
uploads/2019/12/city-zen_d5-7_d5-10_d5-11_d5-12_d7-4_cityzen_smart_grid.pdf

12 Digital public goods are open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards, and open content that adhere to privacy and otherapplicable laws and best practices, do no harm by design, and help attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

22 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

Innovative Digital
Initiatives: Empowering
Collaborative Mapping,
Urban Standards, Mobility
Management, Climate
Data, Health Claims, andCommerce with TechnicalProtocols

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a global collaborative mapping initiative that offers freeand editable geographic data. It operates on an open data model, enabling users tocontribute and access a wide array of map features like roads, buildings, and points
of interest. This community-driven approach has resulted in a highly detailed andcomprehensive map dataset that rivals proprietary mapping services. OSM’s data can beaccessed and used for various purposes, including navigation, urban planning, research,and the development of location-based applications (OpenStreetMap, n.d.).
More information is available at https://www.openstreetmap.org/about
The National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) of India, spearheads standards
formulation in the urban and technical domains that can be adopted by individual cities.
The ‘knowledge and process (operational) standards’ encompass terms, specifications,classifications, performance metrics, best practices, SOPs, and certifications to ensure
accuracy and quality. The ‘technology (software/hardware) standards’ are essential for
enabling interoperability and machine-readable data and consist of data models derived
from knowledge standards, API specifications defining software interfaces, protocols forencoding messages, and data privacy and security standards in compliance with legal
requirements. These standards ensure efficient data processing, & protection of sensitive
information (NUDM, n.d.). More information is available at https://nudm.mohua.gov.in/
Mobility Data Specification (MDS), is a digital tool that enhances transportation
management in public spaces. It facilitates standardized communication anddata-sharing between cities and private mobility providers like e-scooter and bikeshare companies. It offers mobility service providers a reusable framework for seamlesscollaboration in new markets, leading to time and cost savings. MDS supports dynamic
pricing, equitable access, and safety initiatives while significantly reducing operating
costs and staff monitoring efforts in managing mobility programs (Open Mobility
Foundation,2023).
More information is available at https://www.openmobilityfoundation.org/about-mds/
The Climate Data Model (CDM) developed by the World Climate Research Programme(WCRP) defines a set of common data elements, including variables, units, coordinates,
and attributes. This allows climate data to be exchanged and processed more easily,
which can help scientists to better understand climate change and its impacts. The
CDM is also used to develop climate data products, such as climate models, climate
projections, and climate change impact assessments. It helps to ensure that climate datais accessible, consistent, and reliable to aid policymakers and other stakeholders whoneed to make decisions about climate change (WCRP, n.d.).
More information is available at https://www.wcrp-climate.org
The Health Claims Data Exchange (HCX) is an open source project inspired by therecommendations of the Joint Working Group of the National Health Authority of India
and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India. It aims to establish
a protocol for exchanging health claims information among various stakeholders
in a consistent, secure, and private manner. HCX functions as routing switches orgateways, specifically designed for the healthcare domain. The project was developed
collaboratively by over 60 volunteers from different sectors of the healthcare industry
and has undergone various enhancements over time (Health Claims Data Exchange,n.d.). More information is available at https://docs.hcxprotocol.io/what-is-hcx

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 23

The Beckn Protocol provides a set of recommendations and rules defining technicalstandards for industry, regional, or market participants. By adopting these specifications,
Beckn functions as a transaction protocol, enabling seamless interactions such as
discovery, ordering, fulfilment, and payment between buyers and sellers. Throughthe implementation of these specifications, a wide range of stakeholders including
businesses, customers, and governments can establish integrated digital networks,
opening up vast opportunities. Serving as a user-friendly and open infrastructure for
digital commerce, it enhances market potential and ensures equitable participation for
all market participants (Beckn, n.d.).
More information is available at https://becknprotocol.io/imagining-with-beckn/ Creating a culture of leveraging data responsiblyby promoting creation and usage of minimum
common open disaggregated datasets (leveraging
DFFT) across all departments and service providers
should be prioritised in the City Digital Strategy.
These datasets may then be utilised for inclusive
evidence-based policy making across various
sectors. Anonymisation of datasets so as to mask
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is anothercrucial step to protect privacy and ensure that datacollection, storage, sharing and usage adhere to
guidelines and regulations of digital ethics. This
shall foster public trust in open data and promote
inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.
 Implementing open data initiatives that makerelevant urban data accessible to the public,
researchers, and businesses will encourage
innovation, enable collaboration, and allow for thedevelopment of new digital solutions and services
that benefit the city as a whole. It is also essential
to ensure data integration and interoperability
Promoting Economic
Mobility and Equality

24 Urban 20 2023 White Paperamong different urban systems and datasets toeliminate functional bottlenecks and maximise thebenefits of innovations. By breaking down data silos
and establishing data sharing mechanisms, cities
can gain comprehensive insights and make more
effective and informed decisions that span multiple
domains.
Cities are constantly adopting digital systems to drive
their planning, operations, coordination, monitoring,etc., hence, there can be very rich datasets thatdevelop transactionally (i.e. during the running ofthese systems) with no additional efforts neededfor data collection). These can then be vetted forsafety and privacy considerations and used to derive
insights that inform city-level decisions, provided
as inputs for participatory and decentralised
governance, and made open as a public good forinnovators. A case study of evidence-based policy
making is given in the box below (although it is not atcity level, similar initiatives can work in cities).

The Equality of Opportunity Project was a research initiative led by economists Raj
Chetty, John N. Friedman, and Nathaniel Hendren, aimed to understand the factorsthat contribute to economic mobility and inequality in the United States. By utilisinglarge-scale administrative datasets of the Dept. of Education’s College Scorecard
covering all students from 1999-2013, the researchers analysed economic outcomes at a
granular level to gain insights into the drivers of intergenerational economic mobility.
One key aspect of the project was its focus on studying inequality across various
dimensions, including geographic areas, race, and gender. By examining differences inincome, education, and upward mobility, the researchers uncovered the specific factorsthat shape economic outcomes and the transmission of advantage or disadvantage
from one generation to the next. The project produced several significant findings, suchas the impact of neighbourhoods on economic mobility.
The project emphasises the use of robust data and empirical analysis to inform policy
decisions. By highlighting the importance of evidence-based approaches, the projectencourages policymakers to rely on data and research findings rather than relying solely
on intuition or anecdotal evidence. This shift towards data-driven decision-making canlead to more effective and efficient policy solutions (Chetty et al, n.d.).
More information is available at https://eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/coll_mrc_summary.pdf

 Encouraging urban innovation – by setting up Urban
Innovation Incubation Centres / Urban Living Labs toprovide opportunities of partnering with interested
individuals, organisations and start-ups for acollaborative approach and promote new ideas in
the ecosystem to drive innovation across sectors.
These labs can actively encourage the inclusionof input from affected groups, facilitating theco-creation of innovative, context-specific solutions
that contribute to systemic change for sustainable
Integrated Urban
Regeneration and Smart
Solutionsurban development (Rao, 2023; The Hindu Bureau,2023). These labs/centres can also support cities inprototype testing, training, skill-building, certificationof Urban Digital Specialists and facilitate cascadingof knowledge, investment, and technologies to thepeople at the local level for addressing on-groundcontextual challenges. The box below gives asnapshot of a model adopted by European cities thatleverage’s ICT to catalyse urban regeneration.

REMOURBAN is an urban regeneration model that harnesses the synergies between
energy, mobility, and information and communication technology (ICT) to catalyse
the transformation of European cities into Smart Cities. It is a comprehensive guidethat outlines technical and non-technical innovations to promote smarter and moresustainable cities, encompassing various aspects such as citizen and stakeholder
involvement, management and governance, business models, and financial instruments.
It acts as a roadmap to support local authorities by assisting in goal-setting, progress
monitoring, process streamlining, and the exploration of innovative solutions andbusiness models for urban revitalization (Urban Regeneration Model, 2020).
More information is available at http://www.remourban.eu/technical-insights/
best-practices-e-book/best-practices-e-book.kl

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 25

04/
Key takeaways & way forwardAs urbanisation continues rapidly, cities face the dual
challenges of meeting the aspirations and demandsof their citizens while ensuring a sustainable future.
Technology has always played a transformative role insociety and presently digital technology is revolutionising
the way people live their lives. This paper recommends
placing the digital imperative at the centre of city

26 Urban 20 2023 White Paper

governance to leverage this transformative potential. The
concept of “smart cities” emphasises digital innovation forsustainable urban development. Integrated city operations,enabled by interconnected systems and data-driven
platforms facilitate seamless connectivity that transforms
cities into networks, promoting learning, innovation, ease ofliving and ease of doing business.

While digital urban futures offer tremendous potential,
there are barriers to overcome. It is imperative to address
universal connectivity gaps; establish effective data
management and governance frameworks, strengthen
cybersecurity measures, tackle the “infodemic”, bridge thedigital divide, address institutional barriers and, upholddigital human rights. These barriers require strategicplanning, policy reforms, and concerted efforts to ensure
equitable and inclusive digital transformation. As cities
build effective digital ecosystems, it is equally essential toincrease their risk appetite to experiment with emerging
technologies and adopt open-source technologies.
Moreover, cities have to foster a culture of continuous skill
development, learning, and adaptation to thrive in the digitalera.
Acknowledging these gaps, the White Paper puts forthactionable takeaways that can be tailored to specificcontexts, recognizing that the digital transformation journeyis unique for every city and country. As an overarching idea,
the paper also recommends making the most of global
interconnectedness and create avenues to encouragepeer-to-peer learning among cities across the world,allowing for knowledge sharing and insights from eachother’s experiences in implementing digital innovations. The
six key enablers of urban digital transformation are:

Cities have to embrace digitalisation and technology
as ‘enablers’ that can enhance the people-government
connect and complement city operations rather than asa panacea. As cities use the instrument of digitalisation
to become more efficient systems, it is critical to takean ecosystem approach and focus on open architecture
while developing digital infrastructure to make provision
for interoperability and future expansion. Additionally,
cities must take into account risks such as cybercrime,
exacerbating inequality, rebound effects, technology
dependence etc., and establishing appropriate regulatory
frameworks to monitor and guard against these. All actorsof the quadruple helix i.e., government, industry, civil society
and academia, must work together to harness the fullpotential of digital technologies and ensure inclusivity. By
doing so, cities can unlock new opportunities for innovationand sustainable development.
Digitalisation, if employed smartly, can potentially become
the most crucial catalyst for equitable, sustainable andholistic development. It makes systems and services
more efficient and allows for reduction in consumption of
resources, saving of time and money and enables predictiveplanning and preparedness. Leveraging technology forconvergence and streamlining of actions can enhance
the impacts of all efforts to achieve the SDGs and climate
targets, as well as ensure accessibility and inclusion.

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 27

05/
Bibliography
1. Ajuntament de Barcelona. (n.d.). Barcelona Digital City - Putting technology at the service of people.
https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/digital/sites/default/files/pla_barcelona_digital_city_in.pdf
2. Alahakoon, D., Nawaratne, R., Xu, Y. et al. Self-Building Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Empower Big Data
Analytics in Smart Cities. Inf Syst Front 25, 221–240 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-020-10056-x
3. Amnesty International. (2021). Inside the NYPD’s Surveillance Machine. https://banthescan.amnesty.org/decode/
4. Amnesty International. (2022). Facial recognition technology reinforcing racist stop-and-frisk policing in New York.
https://amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/usa-facial-recognition-technology-reinforcing-racist-stop-and-frisk-policing-in-new-york-new-research/
5. Beckn. (n.d.). Imagining with Beckn. https://becknprotocol.io/imagining-with-beckn/
6. C40 Cities. (2023, June 9). C40 Cities - A global network of mayors taking urgent climate action. https://www.c40.org/
7. Chetty, R., Friedman, J. N., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, D. (n.d.). The Equality of Opportunity Project. https://eml.berkeley.
edu/~saez/coll_mrc_summary.pdf
8. Curley, M. (2015). The Evolution of Open Innovation. Journal of Innovation Management, 3(2), 9–16. https://doi.
org/10.24840/2183-0606_003.002_0003
9. Euro Cities. (2019). City-zen, new urban energy: learn from the past and shape the future. https://eurocities.eu/latest/
city-zen-new-urban-energy-learn-from-the-past-and-shape-the-future/
10. G7 2023 Hiroshima Summit. (2023). G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué. https://www.g7hiroshima.go.jp/documents/
pdf/Leaders_Communique_01_en.pdf
11. ITU. (2019). Global Cybersecurity Index 2018 (GCI). https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/
str/D-STR-GCI.01-2018-PDF-E.pdf
12. Jelinek, T et al. (2023, June). Advancing AI for Climate Action: Global Collaboration on Intelligent Decarbonisation.
https://t20ind.org/research/advancing-ai-for-climate-action/
13. Komiya, K., & Mukherjee, S. (2023, May 20). G7 calls for developing global technical standards for AI. https://www.
reuters.com/world/g7-calls-developing-global-technical-standards-ai-2023-05-20/
14. National Institute of Urban Affairs. (n.d.). National Urban Digital Mission. https://nudm.mohua.gov.in/
15. NIUA CDG. (2021). Urban Platform for deliverY of Online Governance. https://niua.in/cdg/UPYOG#modesccsg
16. OECD. (2019). Enhancing the Contribution of Digitalisation to the Smart Cities of the Future. https://www.oecd.org/cfe/
regionaldevelopment/Smart-Cities-FINAL.pdf
17. Open Mobility Foundation. (2023, May 10). About MDS | Open Mobility Foundation. https://www.openmobilityfoundation.
org/about-mds/
18. OpenStreetMap. (n.d.). OpenStreetMap. https://www.openstreetmap.org/about
19. Oracle India. (n.d.). What is Big Data? https://www.oracle.com/in/big-data/what-is-big-data/#:~:text=The%20
definition%20of%20big%20data,especially%20from%20new%20data%20sources
20. Rao, U. (2023, May 18). Vizag gets urban living lab for sustainability planning. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.
indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/vizag-gets-urban-living-lab-for-sustainability-planning/articleshow/100316796.
cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
21. Satterthwaite, D., & Dodman, D. (2023, May). Urbanising the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. International
Institute for Environment and Development. https://www.iied.org/urbanising-intergovernmental-panel-climate-change
22. Sitanggang, R. et al. (2023, June). Blockchain and IoT for Drinking Water in G20 Countries: A Game-Changing
Opportunity | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 - Official Engagement Group of G20. https://t20ind.org/research/
blockchain-and-iot-for-drinking-water-in-g20-countries/
23. Standards – NUDM. (n.d.). https://nudm.mohua.gov.in/standards/#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20the,Speed%20
28 Urban 20 2023 White Paperup%20time%20to%20market
24. State of Green. (n.d.). Copenhagen Solutions Lab. https://stateofgreen.com/en/solution-providers/copenhagen-solutions-lab/
25. Summary - Health Claims Data Exchange. (n.d.). https://docs.hcxprotocol.io/what-is-hcx
26. The Hindu Bureau. (2023, May 17). GVMC seeks suggestions to alleviate impact of climate change on Visakhapatnam
city. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/gvmc-seeks-suggestions-to-alleviate-impact-of-climatechange-on-visakhapatnam-city/article66862695.ece
27. UN DESA. (2022). Adopting National Data Governance Framework for Sustainable Development [Slide show]. https://
unpan.un.org/sites/unpan.un.org/files/Presentation_Adopting%20National%20Data%20Governance%20Framework_
Mr.%20Wai%20Min%20Kwok.pdf
28. UN-Habitat. (2022a). World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/
files/2022/06/wcr_2022.pdf
29. UN-Habitat. (2022b). Mainstreaming Human Rights in the Digital Transformation of Cities. https://unhabitat.org/sites/
default/files/2022/11/digital_rights_guide_web_version_14112022.pdf
30. UNCDF. (2022). The role of cybersecurity and data security in the digital economy. https://policyaccelerator.uncdf.org/
policy-tools/brief-cybersecurity-digital-economy
31. United Nations DESA. (2022). World Population Prospects 2022. https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.
un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf
32. United Nations. (2020a). Secretary-General’s Data Strategy. https://www.un.org/en/content/datastrategy/index.shtml
33. United Nations. (2020b). Roadmap for Digital Cooperation: Ensuring the Protection of Human Rights. https://www.
un.org/en/content/digital-cooperation-roadmap/assets/pdf/Roadmap_for_Digital_Cooperation_EN.pdf
34. United Nations. (2021). Achieving universal connectivity by 2030. https://www.un.org/techenvoy/content/
global-connectivity
35. United Nations. (n.d.). Least Developed Countries. https://www.un.org/en/conferences/least-developed-countries#:~:text=The%2046%20countries%20currently%20on,%2C%20Kiribati%2C%20Lao%20People%27s%20Dem
36. Urban Regeneration Model. (2020). http://www.remourban.eu/technical-insights/best-practices-e-book/best-practices-e-book.kl
37. World Bank. (2023). Urban Development Overview. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview
38. World Climate Research Programme. (n.d.). World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). https://www.wcrp-climate.
org
39. World Health Organization. (2022). Q&A: How to combat the infodemic with digital solutions to reduce health risks
during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/27-06-2022-q-a--how-to-combatthe-infodemic-with-digital-solutions-to-reduce-health-risks-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-and-beyond

Catalysing Digital Urban Futures 29