Towards smart sustainable cities: UNECE examines good practices to promote innovation ‎

The world is urbanizing fast. Already today, half the population is living in cities. By 2050, that proportion is projected to rise to over two thirds. Cities are economic powerhouses, accounting for 80 percent of world GDP. They also have large ecological footprints, accounting for 60-80 percent of energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions globally. If the world is to achieve the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, of prosperity, within planetary boundaries, for all, cities will have to lead the way.

Many cities in the UNECE region have taken up this challenge. And innovation is key to meeting it. Leading cities are using innovative technologies and innovative ways of management and governance to deliver better environmental and economic performance and a better quality of life in an inclusive way.

Leading cities are hotbeds of this kind of innovation. They are dense eco-systems strong universities, innovative start-ups, small, medium and big companies, well-financed investors, deep and diverse talent pools, state of the art communication, transport and energy infrastructures, large local markets, good governance structures, and strong economic ties to the rest of the world. Innovation flourishes in these eco-systems.

But not all cities are there yet. Some are still more part of the problem than part of the solution. And often, innovative solutions pioneered in one city cannot be successfully replicated in others. At its annual session on 5-6 December 2019, the UNECE Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies discussed what city administrations, citizens, businesses and national Governments can do to speed up the transition towards smart sustainable cities.

Networks exist at the national, regional and global levels where cities are exchanging experiences on innovative solutions for urban sustainability challenges. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are key to generate the data and analysis that can make cities smart. But for leading cities, technology is not an end in itself. They use it to empower citizens – including marginalized and vulnerable groups – as well as businesses to identify local needs and to create innovative place-based solutions together with city administrations for people and the environment.

Leading cities provide spaces for experimentation such as living labs or test beds to scale up what is working and stop what is not. They invest in infrastructure and education to make sure everyone has access to new technologies and the opportunities they create. National Governments can support cities in their transition towards sustainability through smart regulation, including on data security and privacy, and through public procurement for innovation, as well as regional policies that bridge the gap between leading cities, their hinterland and smaller communities.

The results of the meeting will inform good practice recommendations to be presented to the UNECE Committee on Innovation, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships in 2020. Subsequently, UNECE will use these good practices in its policy analysis and advice to help member States to further improve their policies in this important field.

The UNECE Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies is a network of innovation policy experts representing Governments, government agencies, the business and academic communities and civil society from throughout the UNECE region.