Dialogue 5: Putting people first in a digital era

The world is now both urban and digital, with these two mega shifts shaping how people live, work, and interact. Urban living and technologies together offer access to opportunities, services, and resources that can improve well-being. When cities are well-planned and managed, the potential for better socio-economic and environmental outcomes is significant. Digital technologies can further expand these opportunities, enhancing the daily quality of life for urban residents. By leveraging both urban and digital transformations, substantial benefits can be achieved for the world’s 4.4 billion urban inhabitants. The market for smart city systems is valued to be over USD 500 billion and is expected to grow rapidly, underscoring the profound impact of technological innovation on urban environments.

However, this transformation comes with significant risks. Considering that one-third of the global population is still offline, the benefits of technological advancements are not yet evenly distributed. Furthermore, technology-driven urban innovations often fail to ensure accessibility and inclusion, exacerbating existing gendered, racial, intergenerational, and disability-related inequities. Additionally, poorly regulated technology, particularly in the context of rapid AI development and large consumption of data, can pose risks to privacy, rights, and security.

In this context, a localised approach that embraces innovation is essential to empower cities and communities. While maximising the benefits of digital technology and innovation for urban sustainability, this approach must focus on people-centred initiatives and ensure inclusive outcomes. Effective urban innovation requires harmonising regulatory frameworks and policy incentives at all levels, with an emphasis on democratising access, reducing bias, and protecting privacy and human rights. Localised strategies that promote meaningful community engagement are essential for ensuring that technological solutions meet citizens' needs and rebuild trust between governments and local communities.

This dialogue explores people-centred and innovation-driven approaches to technological advancements, smart city development, and localised digital solutions for sustainability and inclusivity. It focuses on empowering cities and communities to shape more sustainable futures through strategic innovations such as smart infrastructure, digital governance and citizen engagement, digital literacy and accessibility, and e-mobility, among others. Through two sessions comprising a high-level discussion and a young innovators panel, participants will reflect on the trade-offs of technology use and how to ensure that it benefits everyone in cities, leaving no one and no place behind.

Guiding questions

•  What digitally-enabled solutions and innovations are positively transforming cities and communities, offering lessons for scaling and replication?
• How can communities play a greater role in shaping and monitoring people-centred approaches to smart cities?
• How can cities create governance and regulatory mechanisms that incentivise and support locally-driven digital innovation now and in the future?
• What is needed to address major structural impediments that perpetuate the urban digital divide?

Key objectives

This Dialogue will deliver key messages to guide people-centred smart city development globally, drawing on lessons, practical strategies, actionable insights and innovative thinking. It will encourage collaboration among stakeholders and address how to operationalise the growing international consensus on making urban digital transformation both inclusive and sustainable.

Key messages

• Digital technologies can transform cities and hold the promise of solving pressing urban challenges.
• Digital urban transformations come with potential risks – they may exacerbate inequality, human rights infringements, and security concerns.  
• The localisation of digital transformations through a people-centred approach is crucial to ensure that digital technologies leave no one and no place behind.  
• Local and regional governments have a central role to play in shaping an open, free, secure and human-centred digital future.