Enhancing the Contribution of Digitalization to the Smart Cities of the Future

Abstract

Digitalisation is one of several megatrends, including globalisation, demographic change and climate change that are reshaping policies from the ground up. For two decades, digital innovation has been at the heart of discourse around “smart cities” to build more efficient and liveable urban environments. In a first instance the concept of “smart cities” was largely supply-side and sector-driven, with the private sector taking the leading role in defining both the problem and the solution for digital innovation to generate new economic opportunities, improve service delivery and facilitate citizen engagement.