Page 22 - Policy benchmarks for digital transformation of people-centred cities

4 Detailed methodology to evaluate policy maturity in people-centric
cities

This section presents an in-depth expansion of the previously discussed “Framework”, offering
a comprehensive “Assessment Methodology” for benchmarking policies, aimed at realizing
the mission of establishing people-centric and sustainable digitalization within smart cities. The
proposed methodology serves as a valuable guide for evaluating the essential structure and
components of acceptable policies to develop people-centric cities. Nevertheless, leaders should
recognize that not everything can be measured.

In the context of people-centric city development, it is critical for cities to map the KPIs used to
assess the digital transformation path of their digital smart city strategy with the outcomes of
governance based on policies. In other words, the digitalization path in terms of the technology
roadmap, infrastructure and services needs to comply with the policies established to ensure a
people-centric digitalization outcome. In turn, policy assessments need to be informed by the
advancement and requirements of digital technology to create the governance framework for the
execution and monitoring of the digitalization roadmap.

The outcome of this benchmarking process will provide a quantifiable evaluation of policy maturity,
focusing on the fundamental elements required to achieve the mission's objectives. This assessment
creates a baseline of acceptable policies that prioritize the well-being and inclusivity of citizens.
It also allows for flexibility by permitting the incorporation of additional elements that align with
local context and specific requirements.

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The assessment criteria are based on common definitions by the ITU and other resources that
are outlined in the appendix of this document. Those definitions should be selected based on the
context of city development, the maturity of the smart city digitalization roadmap and its objectives.

By adopting this assessment methodology, city leaders gain valuable insights into the effectiveness
of existing policies and identify areas for improvement. The benchmarked evaluation guides
decision-making towards fostering sustainable urban development and reinforces the commitment
to people-centred cities. It will leave room for additional elements which will allow cities to
continually tailor their policies to the dynamic needs and aspirations of their residents, ensuring
that digital transformation efforts remain relevant and impactful for their citizens. In alignment with
digitalization roadmaps, policy criteria (for references see appendix clause I.2) should include and
be rated based on availability and comprehensiveness on the Level of 1 (Existing) to 5 (Sustainable).
The criteria listed below serve as a starting point and must be complemented with criteria that
reflect regional, national or city-specific context, tradition, customs, practices and policies. City
policymakers need to select and establish the criteria based on the most-likely scenarios of their

9 https:// www .itu .int/ en/ ITU -T/ focusgroups/ ssc/ Documents/ Approved _Deliverables/ TR -Definitions .docx

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