Appendix B
Smart City Organizations
Though the smart city movement is relatively new, it’s a good sign that an increasing number of national and international organizations have formed in support of smart cities and more are emerging. For any industry, this is typically a reflection of maturation. As diverse stakeholders begin to coalesce around common interests and agendas, they align and form under various entities. The way to move ideas forward on a broad regional or international basis requires the creation of advocacy organizations. In this appendix, I’ve created a list of some of the more active organizations in the smart city domain as a way of providing a sample for you of where people and organizations are focusing. I regret, and apologize in advance for, any obvious omissions. By the way, there’s still plenty of opportunity to form your own organization. Consider it, particularly if you don’t find one that reflects your interests.
Organization |
Alliance for Innovation |
Website |
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Summary |
The Alliance for Innovation works to inspire innovation in local government by connecting a network of leaders across North America. It seeks to advance communities by implementing new technologies and making use of innovative solutions. The alliance works diligently to educate local governments on building an innovative culture and also provides support and a wide variety of access to learning opportunities. |
Organization |
C40 Cities |
Website |
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Summary |
C40 Cities connects 94 of the world’s cities in order to take bold climate action, leading the way toward a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing more than 700 million citizens and one-quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air you breathe. |
Organization |
Center for City Solutions |
Website |
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Summary |
Center for City Solutions provides research, education and analysis on key topics and trends that impact the people in America's communities. They help local leaders build strong communities by expanding their capacity, elevating successful city practices, providing in-depth research and tools, and finding and implementing on-the-ground solutions. |
Organization |
Center for Smart Cities and Regions |
Website |
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Summary |
The mission of the Center for Smart Cities and Regions (CSCR) is to advance urban and regional innovation to make more inclusive, vibrant, resilient, and sustainable communities. The center collaborates with researchers, policymakers, planners, entrepreneurs, industry, and the public to enhance the ability of cities and regions to responsibly use emerging technological infrastructures and improve quality of life. |
Organization |
Center for Urban Innovation |
Website |
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Summary |
The Aspen Institute Center for Urban Innovation is a network hub that advances the effort to develop, regulate, and evaluate urban technologies. The center works to connect people from various sectors — nonprofit organizations, emerging businesses, and city leaders, for example — in order to promote human flourishing and digital infrastructures. It offers a place where people can collaborate and ask next-generation questions to find solutions together in order to promote the development of smart cities. |
Organization |
Chilean Innovation Lab |
Website |
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Summary |
The Chilean Innovation Lab seeks to promote practices that become sustainable in Chile and that will mobilize an ecosystem of partners to address priority issues in the country. The government laboratory’s primary focus is on creating new and innovative relationships between the government and the people through various methods. This includes a network of public innovators that allows anyone to contribute and articulate ideas that could further the objective of improving services that Chile provides to people. |
Organization |
Cities Today Institute |
Website |
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Summary |
The mission of the Cities Today Institute (CTI) is to assist community leaders as they design and implement policies, strategies, and projects by providing training and leadership forums, peer-to-peer mentoring, a shared research library, and funding partnerships. |
Organization |
Cities Alliance |
Website |
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Summary |
Cities Alliance is a global partnership fighting urban poverty and promoting the role of cities. Cities Alliance promotes long-term programmatic approaches that support national and local governments to develop appropriate policy frameworks, strengthen local skills and capacity, undertake strategic city planning, and facilitate investment. |
Organization |
City Possible |
Website |
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Summary |
City Possible is a model for urban innovation in which a global network of cities, companies, and communities work together to promote inclusive and sustainable urban co-development focused on addressing pressing urban challenges |
Organization |
Code for America |
Website |
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Summary |
Code for America uses the principles and practices of the digital age to improve how government serves the American public, and how the public improves government. The organization enlists technology and design professionals to work with city governments in the United States in order to build open-source applications and promote openness, participation, and efficiency in government. It has grown into a cross-sector network of public sector change agents as well as a platform for civic hacking. International versions exist within the Code for All network: |
Organization |
Coalition for Urban Transitions |
Website |
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Summary |
The Coalition for Urban Transitions aims to drive the shift away from business-as-usual by empowering national governments with the evidence-based rationale and policy tools they need in order to prioritize more compact, connected, clean urban development. In this way, the initiative helps catalyze and inform implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. |
Organization |
Data Smart City Solutions |
Website |
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Summary |
Data Smart City Solutions is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. The group highlights best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Its research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. |
Organization |
Digi.City |
Website |
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Summary |
Digi.City is a platform designed to inform, inspire, and connect leaders as cities advance in the digital age. It brings together the public, private, and academic sectors; shares tools; and advocates for policies and programs that create more connected, more equitable, and more accessible communities. |
Organization |
EUROCITIES |
Website |
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Summary |
EUROCITIES is the network of major European cities. Its members are the elected local and municipal governments of major European cities. Through thematic forums (including issues related to smart cities) as well as a wide range of working groups, projects, activities, and events, the network offers members a platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas. EUROCITIES influences and works with EU institutions to respond to common issues that affect the day-to-day lives of Europeans. |
Organization |
Global Resilient Cities Network |
Website |
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Summary |
The Global Resilient Cities Network is a city-led organization that drives urban resilience action to protect vulnerable communities from climate change and other physical, social and economic urban adversities and challenges. |
Organization |
Global Smart Cities Alliance |
Website |
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Summary |
The Global Smart Cities Alliance unites municipal, regional, and national governments with private-sector partners and cities’ residents around a shared set of principles for the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies. The alliance establishes and advances global policy standards to help accelerate best practices, mitigate potential risks, and foster greater openness and public trust. |
Organization |
IEEE Smart Cities |
Website |
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Summary |
IEEE Smart Cities brings together the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' broad array of technical societies and organizations to advance the state of the art for smart city technologies for the benefit of society and to set the global standard in this regard. It does this by serving as a neutral broker of information among industry, academic, and government stakeholders. |
Organization |
Leading Cities |
Website |
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Summary |
Leading Cities is a global nonprofit organization that improves the quality of life in cities by the development of smart ecosystems that are sustainable, responsible, and inclusive. Its approach combines theoretical thinking, applied science analysis, and the identification of disruptive technologies and social patterns. |
Organization |
MetroLab Network |
Website |
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Summary |
MetroLab Network is a collaborative of 29 cities, five counties, and 35 universities focused on civic innovation. The network believes that partnerships between local governments and universities are critical when it comes to bringing about urban transformation and that national and international collaboration will streamline civic innovation. |
Organization |
Metropolis |
Website |
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Summary |
Metropolis serves as the hub and platform for metropolises to connect, share experiences, and mobilize on a wide range of local and global issues, in addition to being the focal point of worldwide experience and expertise on metropolitan governance. |
Organization |
NewCities |
Website |
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Summary |
NewCities is a global nonprofit organization committed to shaping a better urban future. The organization has extensive experience in the development of innovative content that is most important in emerging urban trends. It hosts major events, knowledge-sharing platforms, and ongoing research sessions in order to identify the most pressing topics related to cities and urban development. |
Organization |
Public Technology Institute |
Website |
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Summary |
Public Technology Institute supports local government executives and elected officials through research, education, executive-level consulting services and national recognition programs. Their expertise is in fields including IT, citizen engagement, E-government, GIS, public safety technology, energy and sustainability. |
Organization |
SMART Africa |
Website |
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Summary |
SMART Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to broadband and usage of information and communications technologies. |
Organization |
Smart Cities Association |
Website |
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Summary |
The Smart Cities Association is a nonprofit organization created by community and industry experts to promote smart city roadmaps and reference models. It also seeks to ensure sustainable development of the digital economy of cities. City residents engage with the association with the help of the Experience tool, which enables input on different urban needs such as transportation, health, safety, environment, and tourism. |
Organization |
Smart Cities Council |
Website |
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Summary |
The Smart Cities Council is a network of leading companies advised by top universities, laboratories, and standards bodies that seeks to promote a world in which cities make use of intelligent design, digital technology, and smart/sustainable resources. It provides an online collaborative platform in order to assess a city’s needs, stakeholders, and project plans. The council enables cross-city connections, which provide information on what projects other cities are working on. It also hosts conferences and provides educational opportunities. |
Organization |
Smart Cities Global Network |
Website |
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Summary |
The Smart Cities Global Network is an international network of smart city stakeholders that connects cities and offers a comprehensive global platform for exchanging views, insights, and ideas on the best mechanisms to create the smart cities of the future. |
Organization |
Smarter Together |
Website |
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Summary |
Smarter Together is a project funded by the H2020 programme of the European Union that focuses on five concrete areas of co-created and integrated smart solutions in cities: citizen engagement, district heating and renewable energy, holistic refurbishment, smart data, and e-mobility. |
Organization |
SmartNations Foundation |
Website |
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Summary |
The SmartNations Foundation is a nonprofit organization developed in order to accelerate the adoption of emerging digital technologies and systems around the world in order to create a better world. The foundation seeks to enable full participation in the global digital transformation economy and society. It works closely with both emerging and developed countries to ensure that they’re well prepared for the fast-evolving global era. |
Organization |
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) |
Website |
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Summary |
UCLG is the largest organization of local and regional governments in the world and committed to representing, defending, and amplifying the voices of local and regional governments to leave no one and no place behind. |
Organization |
United Smart Cities |
Website |
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Summary |
United Smart Cities is a United Nations initiative coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) to accelerate the transformation of cities globally to be smarter and more sustainable with better quality of life for its citizens. |
Organization |
World Smart City |
Website |
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Summary |
The World Smart City organization’s main objective is to further the development of smart cities in a common approach founded on standards. By hosting an annual World Smart City Forum event each year, the organization brings together a wide variety of groups, from the public sector as well as the private sector, seeking to promote innovative solutions within their communities. The group emphasizes the need for cities to increase efficiency in terms of how they operate and make use of their resources. |
Organization |
What Works Cities |
Website |
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Summary |
The What Works Cities initiative tackles the challenge that city leaders lack the tools to use data and evidence to improve how governing gets done. By providing robust technical support, access to expertise, and peer-to-peer learning to cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies is encouraging mayors and cities to better use data and evidence to engage the public, improve services, evaluate progress, and fund “what works.” |
Organization |
World Resources Institute Ross Center |
Website |
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Summary |
WRI Ross Center helps create accessible, equitable, healthy, and resilient urban areas for people, businesses, and the environment to thrive. Together with partners, they enable more connected, compact and coordinated cities. |