issue 02 | march 2022 the case for smart cities need smart smart city partnerships partnering + interview with graham colclough learning from johannesburg by FOREWORD LAWRENCE BOYA (CITY OF JOHANNESBURG) I t is our honour as the City of Joburg Implementation Plan (SDBIP) to ensure e-Government Department of the to be the first of the Smart Cities that our reporting on these initiatives is Gauteng Provincial Government. South Africa (SCSA) Pilot Pro- aligned with our smart intentions. And even international partnerships, gramme cities to act as a Guest Editor in We have developed a Smart City Gov- such as a new cooperation we are de- this SmartCity.za Bulletin series. We have ernance Framework which includes a ma- veloping with Singapore government a long-standing tradition, after all, of be- turity level assessment (based on the ISO through their agency for international ing a learning organisation and one that 37166 / BSI PAS 181). This framework will cooperation known as Singapore Co- is committed to knowledge management guide the manner in which the City deals operation Enterprise (SCE). and knowledge sharing. This platform with smart city governance within the gives us an opportunity to let our peers It is our belief that as big as Joburg broader framework of City governance. and the public know what we have been is, we cannot go it alone whether as a doing, while inviting others to share so Through all of this, we are actively en- unit or even as a municipal adminis- that we can all move forward together. gaged with the SCSA programme, having tration; smartness demands wider en- officially signed onto a Memorandum of gagement and participation if we are to Since the November 1 2021 local gov- Agreement in November 2021 with the find effective and sustainable solutions ernment elections, a new Multi Party Gov- Development Bank of Southern Africa to our many challenges, and also if we ernment (MPG) has been formed to propel (DBSA). We see clear opportunities to are to leverage our many opportunities. the City in this new political term, which is leverage this programme towards meeting So with all of the challenges that mu- the typical cycle of change in our democ- our developmental goals - which include nicipalities may face in building effec- racy. Our new leadership is continuing on meeting both service delivery improve- tive partnerships, it is indeed the smart the trajectory chosen by previous admin- ment and political priorities - in a smart thing to do! istrations to transition Joburg into a smart way. For the City of Joburg, we will there- city as part of the City’s priorities. All City We invite you enjoy, learn and engage fore focus our SCSA engagement in the ar- departments and entities are expected to with SmartCity.za Bulletin #2: The case eas of Strategic Project Preparation, Smart align their budget plans to these smart city for Smart City Partnering. City Project Implementation, and associ- intentions. ated Capacity Building. For us as the Smart City Office, this So that is us. But regarding this spe- means we are “all systems go”, and we are cific Bulletin edition, the focus is on the prioritising on consolidating the Smart roles of actors and partnerships in cre- City Integrated Implementation Pro- ating smart cities. It is a fitting theme gramme (SCIIP), and other key policy for us to support as we have a long his- and strategic frameworks to support the tory of working with other actors. This work to build the foundations for a smart is reflected for example in: city. This includes the completion of our Innovation Policy, and making further re- Our smart city partnerships with the finements to our Smart City Strategy. Our likes of the Tshimologong Digital Hub, SCIIP has ten (10) catalytic programmes part of the University of Witwatersrand spread throughout various City depart- (Wits); University of Johannesburg; our ments which are initiatives to implement sister metros in Gauteng and the City of the goals of the Smart City Strategy. These Cape Town; the CSIR, and the DBSA; include exciting projects around connec- Our Innovation Challenges which in- tivity, sustainability and greening pro- vites and awards innovators who are de- grammes, mobility and transport, safety, veloping smart city technologies and/or and waste management. We are also en- innovative solutions to challenges faced suring that our Smart City Strategy in- by our city; Lawrence Boya is the Smart City cludes clear performance indicators for Leader and Director, City of Johan- the City’s Service Delivery and Budget Intergovernmental partnerships e.g. nesburg. with National Treasury as well as the 2 PREFACE FROM THE EDITORS by GECI KARURI-SEBINA with LETHU MASANGO I t has been a couple of months since other. For instance, the Global Smart Cities cities. The Snippets offer some additional production of our first SmartCity.za Partnership Unit within the WB promotes resources for your inspiration. which was released in December/ a network of knowledge and community We are truly delighted to have our part- January. Importantly, we have flipped the of practice called City Sense – Innovation ner Mr Lawrence Boya, Smart City Man- calendar into a new year, and South Africa’s from within, based on three principles: ager at the City of Johannesburg, guest extended state of disaster and lockdown Open Processes: Cities are overwhelmed editing this edition of the Smart City.za restrictions have come to an end. by the challenges they face; they will never Bulletin, providing his wisdom into our The Smart Cities South Africa (SCSA) have enough technology, money or time to process. Based on this very positive experi- Pilot Programme is progressing, having solve all their problems concurrently. The ence, we intend to continue this approach slowed down a bit to accommodate mu- solution to move forward is to open up the of direct City championship of the Bulle- nicipal elections and the change of guard. process, using a platform approach, to al- tins because it adds so much richness and In this first quarter we are moving into a low others to build value on what the pub- value to the process. It also makes sure that diagnostic phase where the World Bank / lic sector does. these are meaningful and useful products DBSA team will be working with the four for the cities themselves. Please continue Open Data Platforms: By creating a plat- South African pilot cities (Johannesburg, to give us your feedback and inputs in this form and inviting stakeholders across all Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and eThekwini) to regard. of society to become co-creators of the gauge the Smart City maturity of each par- solutions. The easiest way to do that is to Finally, we ask - as usual - what is “the So ticipating city based on British Standard enable public access to data (the so-called What” from this issue. We think the key PD8100:2015 - Smart Cities Overview open data platforms – ODP), thus allowing messages are: which provides a useful and replicable them to create new services, relevant appli- guide to establishing a smart city baseline, • Any way you look at it - relevance, af- cations, visualisations, amongst others. prioritising areas of focus, and tracking fordability, efficiency, feasibility, sus- progress at the city scale over time. This Citizen-centricity: In addition to the tainability - no city will get to being is of course a preparation measure, and overriding objectives of service delivery, smart on its own; we have to work with is thus a constructive process intended to city officials should also focus on citizen other actors. Fortunately there is a lot help support the cities in identifying prior- centric solutions. There is need to change of experience and expertise to help us ity projects and support needs which will the paradigm and design smart city solu- figure out how to do this well if we have accelerate progress towards their Smart tions from the citizens’ perspective, by the mentality and commitment to part- City ambitions. Also on the menu is the considering what makes most sense to ner. cities’ participation in a World Bank Smart them. Empowering stakeholders across the • The knowledge resources are both lo- Cities Virtual Knowledge Exchange with private sector, communities and develop- cal and international. E.g. locally, the Dutch partners in February. ment institutions can enable a sustainable Western Cape Economic Development innovation life cycle that is required to deal The urgent and important next stage Partnership (EDP) has vast experienc- with rapid demographic growth, aging in- will then focus on practical delivery of the ing and resources on partnering in the frastructure or evolving social problems. smart projects and programmes within a South AFrican Context. International- smart city paradigm and enabling institu- The research article in this edition em- ly, the World Bank Global Smart City tional capabilities and arrangements. phasizes the important role of the Qua- Partnership Program similarly offers druple Helix of innovation actors that are key international resources. So seek out And Speaking of enabling ecosystems - necessary to enable smart cities, and also the support; it is available. this edition of our Bulletin builds from our speaks to the inter-governmental coor- first issue’s focus on “the what” - which was • Finally, peer-based learning is critical. dination required. Our local and global defining smart cities, to now asking about The SCSA programme will be prioritis- perspectives evidence this, with the City “the who” it takes to do this; assuming that ing the establishment of a Community of Johannesburg showing us how smart smart cities are not only delivered through of Practice with the pilot cities and key governance requires citizen participation, the efforts of municipal governments. stakeholders as an important basis for and international smart cities expert Gra- this. Speeding the implementation of Smart ham Colclough arguing that we need bet- City solutions largely depends on their ter relationships between actors in order See you in the next issue! capacity to connect and learn from each to manage within the complexity of smart 3 IN THIS ISSUE 2 Foreword 3 preface from the editors 5 research: smart cities need smart actors & partnerships 8 local experience: learning from johannesburg 15 Global Perspective: Graham Colclough www.dbsa.org www.worldbank.org Photo © Ignus SMART CITIES NEED SMART ACTORS AND PARTNERSHIPS BY GECI KARURI-SEBINA & FREDERICK BECKLEY A frican cities present various opportunities national), Private Sector, Knowledge Institutions and relating to the unprecedented population Civil Society. The interactions amongst the actors are growth which is coupled with a high rate of characterized as dynamic and multilayered as indicated urbanization1. Africa’s cities are a beckon towards effec- by the red arrows in figure 1. tively responding to massive overcrowding, poor infra- The interactions and partnerships between the actors structure and limited connectivity. There are concerns within the Quadruple Helix are significant because they on the quality of life and underperformance of city cen- are directed towards the co-creation of the methods ters in Africa but this mandates cities to rise to their full used to include civil society and enable the realization potential as economic transformation agents. of the human dimension in smart cities. The mobiliza- One of the key aspects towards unlocking African tion of smart city initiatives and innovation need to be smart city potentials is treating cities less like static ad- collaborative and perform in an experimental nature. ministrative regions and more as dynamic innovation Trying and refining strategies such as Participatory Pro- ecosystems. totyping (which allows participants to put your ideas in front of other participants, allowing rapid feedback and iteration to improve innovations) and Sandboxing (as a tool of social research, participants create a scene within a box filled with sand using miniature figures and objects as a means of participation) to ensure that smart city projects are centered around common values because these values affect the progression of smart city initiatives. Furthermore, these interactions and part- nerships need to ensure that civil society preferences are clearly articulated to ensure the transcendence towards effective communication. ernmen te sect ov va g ri o t p r Smart cities as innovation ecosystems are effective know in an environment that supports collaboration, entre- y l ed preneurship and innovation. Such environments need t socie ge institu facilitation from decision makers. The decision makers (actors) within the innovation ecosystems are consid- vil ered part of what is known as the quadruple helix (see ci ti Figure 1). The quadruple helix is closely associated with ons a people-centered approach to development. The actors within the quadruple helix are Government (local and 6 These actors enable the necessary systemic change for tors should follow towards effective co-creation: 1) Develop improving the productivity, sustainability and inclusiv- a clear vision and a shared value base on which Smart Cities ity of cities, see Figure 2 & 3, identifying the roles of are based,amongst actors and; 2) The need for facilitation in actors inclusive of two spheres of government (local and support of Smart City actors within smart cities. national). The significance of the actors is elaborate in In an era of constraints - financial, physical, natural, hu- examples such as co-ideation which fosters creativity in man resource, Smart City initiatives in South Africa have to solution development. Smart city actors are anticipated be based on leveraging all actors. While city governments to co-produce, which means that all the actors are seen may be considered to be the primary leads on framing smart as being part of the design, planning, implementation city agendas, the roles of other government actors, of built and maintenance of the smart city. Innovation thrives environment and technology practitioners, of community in environments where the actors adopt a value-driv- residents and businesses, and also of researchers have to be en approach and integrate public integrity, particularly welcomed and centered. amongst civil society and knowledge institutions. Local Government Roles National Government Roles • Political vision & visibility • Supportive political environment • Safeguarding public interests • High-level infrastructure • Coordinating activities of • National priorities other stakeholders & standards • Legislation & regulation • Procurement processes • Targeted funding Nonetheless, it is not only corporations that are import- ant in Africa, but we have a strong emerging Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) or startup scene which cities can leverage to enable smart cities in locally relevant ways1. Smart cities thrive to increase local competitiveness, improve infrastruc- “Innovation ture and collaboration amongst private and public sectors, whilst improving the quality of life of the citizens through thrives in better public services. In South Africa, the word on the street now is “All of Society” .Yet we cannot neglect the various challenges associated with: Collaboration between multiple environments parties; Complexity and emergence of phenomena; Involve- ment of citizens; Diversity of values and; The differing values where the actors of the designers in the development of Smart Cities. In Africa, innovation actors need to develop contextual- adopt a ized innovation strategies which address the continent’s con- textual diversity. The Knowledge Institution helice should emphasize three ways to ensure sustainability of African value-driven Smart Cities and these include: 1) Enabling integrative and trans-disciplinary scholarship; 2) Develop knowledge in- termediaries and; 3) Valorise diverse knowledge forms3. approach and These measures will enable South African Smart Cities and their actors to develop the necessary educational and re- integrate public search systems critical to knowledge transfer and translation amongst the other actors. Scholars suggest two key princi- ples towards an in-depth understanding on the processes ac- integrity” 7 Learning johanne by Chuma Mbambo 8 g from esburg The City of Johannesburg is located in South Africa’s leading economic centre. Joburg is therefore at South Africa’s centre of growth, research and development, and innovation. One of the City of Joburg’s priority areas is therefore to use ‘smart’ approaches in improving governance, service delivery and quality of life in the City. We acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of Lawrence Boya (COJ’s Smart City Director), of Nobuntu Mpendulo & Jeff Nyoka (COJ e-Learning Services) in providing information towards this feature. T he City of Joburg GDS 2040 provides an overarch- ities of the Multi Party Government (MPG) which are; ing vision for the development of the City towards rectifying the apartheid inherited spatial and economic • A city that gets the basics right limitations in order to enhance the quality of life for all • A safe and secure city citizens. The GDS describes the Smart City programme • A caring city as crosscutting to address not only infrastructure needs but also to improve governance and to create efficiencies • A business-friendly city that will contribute to a productive and sustainable City, • An inclusive city putting Citizens at the centre. • A well-run city The Smart City approach emanates from the GDS • A smart city Outcome 3 for, “An inclusive, job-intensive, resilient, competitive and smart economy that harnesses the po- These priorities give a basis from which the Smart tential of citizens’’. This outcome is linked to the 7 prior- City Strategic Pillars are derived. 9 Smart City Strategic Pillars The following table presents the City of Joburg’s smart city governance strategic pillars and institutional delivery mechanisms. The table above illustrates that creating a Smart City re- more, the City of Joburg Smart City Strategy emphasizes quires a cross cutting approach involving all City depart- that the Smart City vision can be made a reality through col- ments in implementing a smart way of operating as well as laborations with partners in government, the private sector, smart initiatives to achieve an overall smart city. Further- civic society and academia. 10 Smart City Vision and Mission • To develop governance policies and structures sup- ported and enforced by City leadership. In 2020 the City of Joburg approved their Smart City Strat- egy document, titled: ‘A Leap Into our Future,’ with a vision • To normalize data-based decision-making across gov- to be; “a Smart City of Johannesburg, that is able to deliver ernment and create digitally enabled platforms for quality services to citizens in an efficient and reliable man- employees to input ideas and solutions to improve the ner” city; including New Ways of Working. The COJ Smart City agenda has the following approach • To be an economically thriving, globally competitive and mission city that leverages digital infrastructure to support sus- tainable business growth, investment, and job creation. • To use technology and innovation to effectively en- gage residents (especially youth and poor communi- The abovementioned Smart City vision, mission and stra- ties) and enable them to participate in developing a tegic pillars demonstrate the crosscutting nature of the smart prosperous future City. city approach in the City of Johannesburg. As such, the City of Joburg has an established Smart City Office that resides in • To modernize operations to provide better quality, effi- the Office of the Chief Operations Officer. This placement cient and accessible services more cost effectively. substantiates the City’s view of smart city approaches being • To create a Safe City for all residents, businesses and based on improving the City’s operations, using data man- visitors and enforce bylaw compliance agement and technology as an enabler of efficient city oper- • To improve critical infrastructure and services that ations. make the city more liveable, greener, cleaner, sustain- The Smart City Office therefore has a critical role of cre- able, adaptive and resilient to foreseen & unforeseen ating smart city standards for the City, and integrating mea- future events. surable smart approaches into the City’s operational envi- • To prioritize broadband and other communication ronment. infrastructure that connects residents, business, civic organizations, Departments and MEs to enable data and information sharing. 11 City of Johannesburg e-Learning Services The rise of the digital age has forced longstanding insti- the libraries to access the internet and e-learning tools. tutions to ‘adapt or die’ as it has transformed the way people • The eLearning services are part of the City’s Smart work, interact and share information. Consequently, public City vision and strategic focus on; youth employabil- institutions like libraries have had to constantly transition ity; encouraging entrepreneurship; bridging the dig- over various regimes to reflect and respond to the present ital divide among citizens and; enabling citizens to needs and structures of society. Likewise, the City of Jo- gain access to knowledge and digital skills. Today, the hannesburg’s Library and Information Services (COJ LIS) e-Learning services focus on; provide more than just traditional library services but have become education hubs that empower communities with • Mobile literacy – introducing the public to educa- mobile literacy services and various digital skills. The LIS tional apps, coding apps and reading for leisure apps; has partnered with various actors to establish the e-Learning • Access to online courses that teach digital skills at all platform which provides access to resources that are beyond levels – this is usually done through partnerships with what the City can offer its citizens independently. companies like Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft; E-Learning Services Background • Digital content creation - empowering staff and the public to write for digital platforms such as the A smart city requires an advanced social capital or ‘smart ‘African Story Book’; people’, hence the City’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and promoting lifelong learning amongst all of the • Computer skills lessons – basic computer skills City’s residents. The e-Learning Services were introduced training in selected libraries; back in 2011 when the City Libraries introduced eLearning • E-resources – LIS subscribes to various e-resourc- classrooms to enable communities to access the internet us- es for students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and the ing City public computers. E-Learning services were intro- general public, and also introduces library users to duced to ensure the inclusion of the City of Johannesburg non-subscription (open source) e-resources. These (COJ) communities in the digital society and are also the include various online databases such as eBooks, au- main driver of the digital transformation of Library and In- diobooks and online journals & newspapers; and formation Services. • Assistance in researching information online through Promoting e-Learning services also includes the provision the use of social media platforms such as WhatsApp of open WIFI where users can bring their own devices or and Facebook. utilize computers and other electronic devices available at 12 In 2019 the LIS established reading and writing development through technology programmes that are held in partnership with NGOs like FunDza African Storybook. Through this Through Harambee’s Ntithimillon programme the COJ LIS is running project, LIS offers free Microsoft Office a school reading competition courses for beginners that require basic called MobiReadathon where to intermediate level digital skills. Users learners participate in mobile reading IBM Digital can complete the courses and obtain a competitions that are accessible through data- Nation Africa offers digital certificate upon completion. free apps. Finals for the MobiReadathon to be a digital skills program that is held in April 2022. focused on 4IR concepts such as Coding, Artificial intelligence, Data Science, and other related topics. IBM courses allow users to select their level of comptency, from a beginner (’explorer’) to expert (’innovator’) level. The platform also links users to platforms with job opportunities. Google SA offers online courses under their “Google Digital Skills for Africa” program, and these are focused on Digital marketing and other skills related to opportunities available for businesses using digital platforms. The ‘Fake News Program’ which addresses misinformmation of the public in internet platforms in partnership with the Goethe Institute. The Goethe Institute also partners in providing literature hrough gamification where junior An Honours citizens are introduced to apps in Student from the Faculty competition formats where they of Computer Science in the Nelson play to win prizes. Mandela University invented a puzzle- based coding game called Tanks. Tanks is a zero-rated app that teaches school learners coding through photo recognition. This has turned into a competition that is hosted has been hosted at Africa Code Week and other coding campaigns that host thousands of learners around Africa. 13 Managing Partnerships skills amongst the library staff, and the general reluctance of adapting to using technology in libraries. The LIS constant- These partnerships have made possible the vision of bridg- ly leverages partner programmes to address these challeng- ing the digital and knowledge divide amongst different com- es, especially those related to training library staff on digital munities in the City of Joburg, but they do not come with- skills and technology. out any challenges. The COJ LIS recognizes that although partnerships are important in achieving all its goals, some Conclusion programmes are crucial for the sustainability of the LIS, The impact of the COJ e-Learning Service is internation- and therefore they reduce partner dependency in these pro- ally recognized and it has been nominated for numerous grammes. Furthermore, the COJ LIS uses a variation of part- international awards. The COJ Libraries won the Electron- nership contracts (occasional, short, medium and long term) ic Information for Libraries (EIFL) International Public Li- and ensures that all partnerships are formalized through the brary Innovation Award in 2021 and continues to share its legal department so that all partners keep to agreements and experience with e-Learning Services on national and global commitments. Typically, the COJ LIS signs 1-3 year agree- platforms. The COJ LIS will be presented at the 2022 Occupy ments with partners to secure continuity. Library Virtual Conference. The leadership in both the City and the partner organiza- tions is critical for the success of a partnership. Therefore, re- lationship building and maintaining partnerships is a neces- sary leadership skill for senior managerial staff, to ascertain that partnerships continue or are revisited and improved. Key Takeaways LIS units provide regular updates on stakeholder and part- • Libraries should align to City priority needs and out- nership activities to support this. comes. The LIS has aligned itself to the City’s priorities Most partnerships are dependent on the benefits enjoyed- to ensure that it is responding to and addressing City during an agreement period. Thus, LIS highlights the impor- challenges. tance of managing expectations as partner reliability cannot • Libraries need to constantly evolve to meet the present be guaranteed. Organizations may overpromise and under- needs of people. The LIS addresses knowledge sharing deliver or not reveal enough information to all partners. One and other demands related to skills development and way the LIS manages this is to focus on leveraging the goals empowering communities to being active participants and Corporate Social Responsibility objectives of its part- in the digitally transforming world. ners and weigh them against the unit’s vision, to ensure that the partnership is based on shared/common objectives. • Good partnerships require good leadership. Good leadership is essential to a working partnership. There- An example of this is in 2018 when the e-Learning and Li- fore partners must ensure to have the support of key brary Applications (ELA) unit collaborated with Google SA, decision makers and keep the partnership visible and where Google sponsored 12 libraries with e-Learning class- aligned to all partner institutional objectives. rooms with WIFI routers over two years to support e-Learn- ing programs. In return, libraries introduced communities to • Limit partner dependency key programmes. Partners Google Digital Skills for Africa online courses. The ELA fur- must manage risks by prioritizing projects and that ther introduced mobile classrooms, which allowed libraries could impact on meeting basic citizen needs. without computers to host programs without having a per- • Leverage on common partner objectives. It is import- manent classroom. ant to understand partner needs and what they seek to achieve from the partnership to ensure mutual benefi- External Factors Influencing Partnerships ciation from projects. The LIS still faces other significant challenges that demean • Create a legal base for all partnerships. All partnerships the impact of the e-Learning initiative. These include unre- should be contract based, whether they are for the long liable and unstable network infrastructure, crime in select- or short-term. ed libraries, limited funds for the programme, inadequate 14 global perspective In January, Geci Karuri-Sebina had the opportunity to chat with Graham Colclough who is part of the World Bank’s Global Smart City Partnership Program’s Core Team of Experts to gain his global insights from experience regarding the issues of effective Smart City actors and partnerships. 15 WITH INTERVIEW GRAHAM COLCLOUGH Q: The literature suggests that suc- pensive and people need to go to doctors Another example is Milan’s Sharing Cit- cessful smart cities require effective or hospital. So how can public institutions ies programme. It is one of 18 programs participation of and/or partnership understand people and gain insight into in Europe tackling the nexus of mobili- with the various stakeholder groups: how to change behaviour and move to pre- ty, energy, and built environment with a government (both central and local), vention? We need people taking more ac- cross-cutting digital and customer-centric business, civil society, and R&D in- countability for their well-being, and that slant. There are 124 cities around Europe stitutions. Is this supported by what occurs locally where people live. So if cities participating. Milan has a demonstration you have observed of global smart city could strengthen trust between society and district where they put in place a “digital journeys or experiences? the public sector, then wellbeing could be social market” (DSM). In essence, an incen- tackled further upstream where it’s cheap- tive program like airlines or supermarkets Between 5 and 10 years ago, everybody er and better. That requires connection use – however without sharing your data was talking about citizen-centricity and ar- between across the tiers of government, for commercial benefit; it’s shared from a guing about the importance of the custom- national to local. Bangladesh also has a lot standpoint of making life better, making er being involved. If you just look at how public service delivery better, and enabling the issue of recycling has evolved in that local businesses to benefit also. So they’ve period of time, from engineering solutions to where we are sorting out waste at source, “Smart City” is about got gaming theory applied to achieve e.g. group savings on energy in that demon- in our homes - I think one specific stake- putting in the data layer stration area. This is where you’re starting holder - civil society - is absolutely crucial in order to make things change. How can that runs across the to use modern technical approaches to de- liver public value in a data informed man- we cause people to take accountability for their actions? That is the primary challenge delivery chain of all ner. and the key to smart city solutions: we need Q: What do you see as key require- society to be accountable, not just to be an infrastructures and ments or attributes for effective part- actor who occasionally plays a role. “Smart nership-based approaches to smart City” is about putting in the data layer that services. city making? runs across the delivery chain of all in- Adoption – making sure that the invest- frastructures and services. And because ment in smart solutions actually results people in the past didn’t worry about data in people using a service. We see a lot of and probity of data and now they do, it’s investments in cities where people aren’t really, really important that all these actors necessarily using them. If you build some- understand how they’re actually going to thing physical, it’s reasonably obvious if it’s connect these infrastructure and services – not being used. When we’re busy building and not necessarily just the data. Many ser- something virtual; which could transform vices are inefficient in their ‘silos’, and op- outcomes, it can be less obvious. Adoption portunities emerge as you cross over those requires communicating effectively to us- silos, providing enormous opportunity for ers (often within service delivery organiza- transformational improvement. Data sits tions). Adoption is key, also from an inves- at the core of that. I’ll give you a couple of tor’s perspective (for returns). And if you examples. don’t understand how to communicate One is a current World Bank project in and change behaviors and actions that re- Bangladesh on Health – a service mainly of local non-profits providing health as sult in use - then investment can be wasted. provided and steered from central govern- a vital resource. Health is a great example ment, similar to most other places in the of where connecting across the tiers and world. And it’s a huge budget. The system sectors, and addressing all the steps in the typically kicks in when it’s already very ex- value chain, offers enormous potential. 16 Appropriate data sharing – there’s still we educate investors to understand the Scotland which goes back 20 years. It is a lot of inappropriate data sharing. It’s a engineering of smart cities? How can we about collaboration at a national level very, very dynamic space in terms of what educate cities to understand the nature across the whole of Scotland, taking every tools are available, and what techniques are of money and financing mechanisms? single public sector institution in Scotland used to explore data (machine learning, AI Without that, the missing ingredient and offering them a technology-enabled and suchlike). Building the trust between remains missing – money! Several years service for procurement. The award- stakeholders, which includes therefore the back I had an a-ha moment when I realized winning solution called eProcurement end user is crucial to ensure appropriate that demand and supply - cities and Scotland had been developed as a service, data sharing, without which you typically suppliers - had been having conversations so the IT wasn’t behind the firewall, it was won’t get adoption either. So that’s for a long time, however assumptions and actually in the cloud. It was one of the very absolutely key. expectations were mismatched as regards first as a Service Solution, and again that who and how things would be funded. sought to develop a solution which could Blended finance and business models - be adopted or adapted by multiple different another thing is how you manage money. and then suddenly money gets stuck in types of organizations different scales in a New business models often blend capital the middle and they all look at each other. city (effectively 30 different organizations). investment and operation costs, which can If we can be more intelligent in terms of So this is about effectively understanding mix public and private investment. For how we bring demand and supply together, how to tailor solutions to multiple parties. example in Europe, the Commission grant along with the money / investors, then we infrastructure funds to rebalance the east / can start to build solutions that actually “New business models west divide. They only grant capital funds work. – and that’s limiting. Smart city operations That’s good from standpoint of building often blend capital require more subtle management of both capital and revenue, however these involve something. Of course it’s not necessarily investment and operation good yet from the standpoint of making two different sets of books, and two sure it gets use and feeds back to the costs, which can mix different behaviors. Smart solutions can gray the boundaries between capital and investor in a way that makes sense - which is where city building is complicated. public and private revenue. Another example is an initiative on ‘Mobility Islands’ which is about placing But we should never apologize for the investment.” complexity of smart cities. It is time to physical facilities around a city to change So Copenhagen is one of Europe’s actually understand it. the perception of what it means to move really progressive, sustainable smart cities. around a city. Rather than everybody Q: Do you have any examples of At the same time, if they do make take assuming that the best thing to do is to take “good” and “bad” partnership stories actions which don’t necessarily deliver the your private car and add to congestion / experiences that South Africa could outcomes that they’d intended, they also and air quality issues, it involves coaching learn from? actually seek to learn from that. And that’s people towards renewable-powered small The Smart Cities Lighthouse programme exactly what they’ve done. So they built an micro-mobility or non-motorized options, could be an interesting one for Africa to look urban data platform together with Hitachi and considering the user experience at from a regional perspective and shows which sought to pull data together and sort rather than a traditional model of heavy smart at multiple levels. It is an initiative of commercialize it. In theory, that sounds infrastructure where the customer is the from the European Commission to good, but in practice trust got in the way. vehicle not the user. This requires shifting stimulate the market. Sharing Cities is one There was gap in terms of understanding the different forms of capital investment, out of 18 programmes which are driving the distinction between the public sector considering different business models, cooperation. Now the Commission has a and public value, which is complicated. and flexing revenue streams - it becomes “mission” on Carbon Neutral and Smart And then the commercial value in terms mode complex, however much smarter Cities” which is convening the market of technology companies. Again, it comes and better. across 35 partners who are all beginning down to business models and data. Educate both cities and investors – cities to say ‘let’s do more than just implement a A report was actually produced to learn are necessarily complex beings, and we solution’ – they are packaging solution in from this experience. Innovation is good, should not apologise for that, we need to a Lego-like concept to make adoption and but sometimes it doesn’t quite work out the accept and understand that. Alas, from implementing by others better, cheaper, way you intended. But it requires capturing my experience, too many investors see faster, which is great if we want to respond that learning and sharing it, which is cities as ‘too small, too slow and too risky’ to the SDG challenges the future. exactly what both parties did in this case, - a nuisance to do business with. How can Another example is eProcurement and they have probably benefited from it. 17 Q: What does it take for a city up, which means that leaders need to be smart cities? How can we locate, government to be a good partner to seen to be operating in a different way. And appropriately, the roles of the city vis- other sectors? What kind of city do I mean sensible and brave, not gung ho! à-vis other actors? I need to be to be a good Smart City We are leading towards a completely There’s two axes that I see: a dynamic partner? new future, which therefore means between society and city, and also the This could be received as dinging local we need to take a different mindset in important dynamic between the city and government, which I never want to do - but leadership and manage to inculcate that government. it’s about paradigm change quite frankly, down into the organization, or up from We have been doing some work with in from both private sector and public sector. the bottom – from youth - to the leaders. Europe on the Six Nations Smart Cities We’ve never faced the challenges that we And there’s a really good example when Forum which came from a conversation face when we look forward. So if we’re you look at sustainability - how youth are with European Commission, convened facing really transformational changes, we very comfortable with not eating as much half a dozen of the large or leading smart need to therefore transform [ourselves]. meat, recycling everything, not owning city nations, inspired by the rugby series. Such as what we want to do while carrying every asset that they possibly want to - and We got a list of the 20 things cities look on in the world of politically-driven affairs. they need to push that message up to a lot to government for, that they want – and There’s a statistic which shows that the of somewhat older leaders these days! So then put in columns for the responsibility, average public sector project takes 4 1/2 there’s needs to be a very much more open accountability, consult or inform (RACI) years before the idea can actually get off the view in terms of many things. for each, so as to map the relevant actors. ground. That therefore means that you’re We also need to build trusted relationships And do you know what?: It never got filled gonna have an election in that period – as in sit on the same side of the table with in by any of the Six Nations! And do you of time. So how can we do things across others. And that doesn’t mean taking the know why? Because the civil servants political cycles, as opposed to based on brain out, checking it away; that would be involved in this said ‘that’s above my pay politicians? I’ve experienced this so many dumb. We need more accuracy and less grade to complete’, and that ‘I couldn’t times, you know, where there’s an election obsession about precision. Precision is possibly do that.’ That’s the issue with the - a local election or a national one – and about measuring everything down to the machinery of government. The framework suddenly the policy changes, suddenly n’th - you know, “2.55 to 3.59”, and it takes a still sits on the shelf as a really simple the project stops and you go “Geez, what long time to get there. Accuracy takes a bit pragmatic tool which every country should a waste of time and money and water; a more of a judgment call on that and says use, because in every country I have visited waste of potential outcomes.” it is “somewhere between 3:00 and 5:00”, and dealt with - and that’s several 10s of The need to speed things up is also and that’s OK. But now in a public sector regions and states – the confusion about of really important. It is a choice one takes where you’ve got Press, politicians and who is accountable and responsible for the in life, to be a bit more brave, a bit more professionals leaning over your shoulder Smart cities agenda within government, bold, a bit more “good is good enough”. So - for a civil servant to do that can be a within cities, and between the two is rife. it’s a mindset. And unfortunately, in some bit challenging. But that is again back to Now, having said that, you would cities the leadership does not accept that the change in mindset and also how we immediately take that into South African, type of mindset. So for example COVID monitor performance, because that’s a asking: Who in South Africa might think has forced us to work from home, and a thing which slows us down right now, and they own the Smart cities agenda in lot of people that are managers were very particularly in the public sector. government? uncomfortable with that at the beginning. One seeks precision because, I hope that they’re very comfortable with it The dynamic between cities and unfortunately, the Press that’s just now, which means you give accountability national governments is fundamentally constantly there with a finger, and quite to people for their actions in life, and you dysfunctional at the moment, in my naturally the human reaction is “I don’t assume that they will actually do the right view. And it’s a big job to change it, but it’s want to be in the press in the wrong way,” thing, and you can still monitor that, but absolutely vital, actually. And it’s also one so our politicians worry about it. There’s just in a different way from peering over of those things which is where investors a lot of change that’s required there. Lots their shoulder all the time. So I’m not can change that, because the one missing of change, and an awful lot of it is the soft suggesting that that’s something that only ingredient in any action quite often is the issues. happens in the public sector, but it does paucity of funds. So if you can actually happen in the public sector. We need to Q: How do we ensure good balance bring an intelligent investor to the table change a lot of paradigms, one of which is in bringing together/securing relevant that says “Look, I understand the context how we work. We need to speed the process actors and partners for creating 18 and nature of what you guys are up to; It’s bloody hard, but sitting around 3. Prioritise – Identifying the vital what can I do at a national level and at a not doing anything about it isn’t going services needed to make and local level to actually help in this process?” to help at all. Everybody needs to take demonstrate change, including - then that could be an investor, that accountability and figure out how they visible physical changes. Have becomes part of that change. can influence things and get on with it. roadmaps to scale. To make fundamental change requires Cities set the context for an awful lot 4. Put in place the cross-cutting getting between the ears of individuals. To of what happens in their environment. foundations - Figure out what change the way they think, act and behave. Sometimes they build and own things. are the things that I need to be And also influencing and convening and Sometimes they commission services, really good at that people may not stimulating the local economy and big and sometimes they recognize that things necessarily see instantly, but that business. Mobility as a nexus of change is a happen like telecommunications where are necessary things that – e.g. wonderful one to tackle. there’s a private sector provider that’s services and infrastructures providing services or products, and they try Q: So what practically, what do you 5. Identify Acupuncture points and regulate and control them through the think officials can actually do about all – e.g. You locate the mobility “stick approach”. So the city plays multiple this? What would you do if you were islands like acupuncture pins different roles, but the point here to know the new City Manager out here? into the body of the city, and that what goes on in a place that the City Hall I would say: stimulates like an acupuncture pin should worry about? Whether they should to cause changes that stimulate build-own-operate-provide, or whether 1. Simple messaging – Let’s be clear transformation. they should just know it’s going on? What in terms of a simple picture or aspect of what does the city want to do? set of pictures and storytelling 6. Package solutions – “Lego it” for so that you’ve got passion functionally common issues, and Cities need to understand how they in the conversation, not just collaborate with other cities on operate. And I’m not suggesting that they boring words on paper. Passion common priorities. It stimulates don’t understand that - they’ve been doing because passion causes trust, innovation or enables a structured it for decades. But the pace is changing, and trust causes change because approach. the need is growing - and so cities need transformation requires a mindset to manage that process both upwards 7. Collaborate with peers – to share transformation. towards central government and also and learn, and also to aggregate outwards to the changing nature of who 2. Leadership - Understanding demand and procure together provides services in a city. And I think where you’re going to take a city. if wished. This is especially those two dimensions, these two axes, are Have one road map for directing important across medium-sized really important going to the question of vision, strategy, and impact. cities. Create a viable market, how we can make change happen faster. Discuss and agree with all the key especially for local suppliers. stakeholders Group (steering board of Planning About Graham Colclough Guide; Smart Cities Overview). Graham Colclough is an inter- With previous executive roles with national leader with a wealth of Capgemini and Shell, Graham is cities experience, who is driving well-networked and a recognised the global smart cities agenda thought leader on issues of public through positions within the EC services futures, city governance, Smart Cities & Communities In- customer-centric service trans- novation Partnership (EIP); UK formation, urban mobility, tech- Ministerial Smart Cities Forum nology enablement and the like. member; moderator for the ‘6-Na- He brings considerable interna- tions’ Smart Cities Forum; City tional city-specific experience, is Protocol Society; chair of the an active shaper of new smart city ISO Smart City Strategic Adviso- and eGovernment thinking, and a ry Group; and an active member regular speaker and chair of con- of the BSI Smart Cities Advisory ferences and workshops. 19 Exploring African cities and the SNIPP Imagine Smart City journey of urban digital innovation The Government of India’s Imag- ine Panaji Smart City held a Stake- The video discusses the role of holder Consultation Meeting with tech and the opportunities brought business owners and residents by tech in our cities. The Civic Tech on Tuesday to take their inputs Innovation Network partnered with and suggestions on the proposed the ASToN Network for this session. Redevelopment of Cafe Bhonsle Square. Urban Innovation in Africa AI FOR GOOD 2018 INTERVIEWS Webinar Partnership and work in an eco- Utopia & Skoll World Forum explore system with the right stakeholders how public-private partnerships are and citizens at large is important to key to harnessing urban develop- achieve a human-centered vision ment and innovation. for AI. MAKING-CITY: SCC1 Projects Stakeholder Map Smart City Enablers Collaborative Mapping The Making City video presents the stakeholders’ maps represent- Created out of the #DIYAfrica Ur- ing all the actors involved in the ban Innovation workshop held on Smart Cities and Communities 13-Sep-2021 mapping roles for the Network! The overall objective is to various smart city actors. improve collaboration. 20 PETS How do innovators get in- volved in city building? Monique Griffith (CoJ) shares her thoughts on why and how SA cities can work with young innovators. Partnership models for smart cities Ten of our favourite knowledge resources for providing greater insights into advancing suc- cessful partnership models for smart cities Data-based trust building for people-centered smart cities click to view TEDx Talk by Gesa Ziemer of CityScienceLab about new forms of collaboration and cre- ating people-centered digital cities. 21 CONTACT Dr. Patrick Ntsime, DBSA Programme Lead Coverage Division: Metros, Intermediate Cities & Water Boards T: +27 11 313 3911 M: +27 82 900 2541 E: patrickn@dbsa.org W: www.dbsa.org Mr. Konstant Bruinette, Senior Deal Originator Coverage Division: Metros, Intermediate Cities & Water Boards T: +27 11 313 3911 M: +27 83 391 0104 E: konstantb@dbsa.org W: www.dbsa.org Read our previous issues. Issue 1 Mr. Lethu Masango, World Bank Task Lead Urban Resilience and Land T: +27 21 724 3204 M: +27 82 331 0158 E: cmasango@worldbank.org W: www.worldbank.org Dr. Geci Karuri-Sebina, Visiting Associate Professor, Wits School of Governance M: +27 72 148 1132 E: Geci.karuri-sebina@wits.ac.za W: www.civictech.africa www.dbsa.org www.worldbank.org