Smart Governance for Cities: Perspective and Experiences

Abstract

In the context of the unprecedented sustainability challenges provoked by rapid urbanization, this chapter analyzes the unreadiness of actual Pakistan governance model to deal with those challenges and therefore suggests a suitable and flexible governance model for Pakistan cities to become smarter and sustainable. In that sense, the chapter starts by making a summary of Pakistan policy documents on smart cities, then gives a theoretical overview of the concept of smart governance exposed in scientific literature, after that describes the cities’ governance in Pakistan, and, finally, proposes a new governance model for Pakistan to be able to achieve the sustainable development goals stated in UN agenda 2030, through smarter and sustainable cities. The chapter concludes that a two-tier smart governance model grounded in good governance principles such as effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, collaboration and openness, accountability, and pluralism and driven by e-governance and e-government is the most indicated model to achieve the purposes of cities to become smart and sustainable.