Page 24 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

The Focus Group has four (4) main working groups (WG):

 WG1 – ICT role and roadmap for smart sustainable cities
 WG2 – ICT infrastructure
 WG3 – Standardization gaps, key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics
 WG4 – Policy and positioning (communications, liaisons and members)

This Technical Report is part of the research and analysis for the Focus Group on Smart Sustainable
Cities as a working document from WG1.

FG‐SSC has coordinated a series of open meetings with the participation of multiple stakeholders
involved in the design and implementation of SSC initiatives around the globe, including
telecommunications companies, ICT companies, governments and academia, which provide the
Focus Group with diverse perspectives and a broad base of information.

FG‐SSC will play a key role in fostering a platform where various stakeholders can share views,
develop sets of deliverables, and showcase initiatives, projects, policies, and standards. The Focus
Group will also analyse ICT solutions and projects that promote environmental sustainability in
cities. Best practices will then be identified from these experiences in order to facilitate and inform
the implementation of new solutions in cities, and to be standardized by ITU‐T SG5.

The Focus Group will develop a standardization roadmap taking into consideration the activities
currently undertaken by the various standards development organizations (SDOs) and forums. The
Focus Group is also working with non ITU‐T members, leveraging the role of the ICT sector to foster
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the growth of smart and sustainable cities worldwide .

2 City dimensions and attributes

To begin, the notion of a 'Smart and Sustainable City' entails more than just the implementation of
technologies and strategies aimed at meeting today's needs without compromising those of future
generations. It is also about understanding the city itself: its identity and its goals, its stakeholders
and their priorities, and in that way, identifying the attributes that would tailor to the uniqueness
of each city while enhancing its overall living quality and sustainability with the support of ICTs.

This section provides an overview of the key attributes that characterize cities, thus setting the basis
for identifying the role of ICTs within the SSC context (section 3). Annex 1 provides some additional
background and description for some of these dimensions and attributes.
Broadly speaking, there are three overarching and closely interrelated dimensions at the core of a
city:
a. environment and sustainability

b. city level services
c. quality of life

Each of these dimensions, and the attributes that characterize them, will be explored in further
detail.

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14 ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications