The role of government in delivering a higher purpose

The role of government is indubitably to serve its citizens and to govern cities wisely and justly so that public services are delivered safely and efficiently. In that sense, digital is a valuable tool for government bodies. Digital is inexorably linked to infrastructure and services so that cities can be more efficient and public services like healthcare and education can be utilized more effectively. However, digital is also about information. It is about harvesting the right data and using this in a way that benefits cities to be resilient, competitive and successful.

But is there a higher purpose to harnessing digital technology beyond improving efficiency in cities?

Digital is about feedback loops, making sure that the impact of public services is creating the right types of benefits to the right communities so that social and economic opportunities are optimized across the spectrum of society. As cities evolve and grow, it can often be seen that marginalized groups do not have access to the same opportunities as others in terms of quality of housing, jobs, neighborhoods, community services, utilities and more.

This is a dilemma that most governments face because, even in prosperous cities, wealth and privileges may not be equally shared among the citizens. Local governments are called upon to make difficult decisions. Do investments in digital technologies benefit all or only a handful? Who gets access to these privileges and who gets left behind? It is incumbent on us to seek a greater equality of outcome and to use infrastructure — digital and physical — to alleviate economic and social distress, as well as foster opportunities for citizens to leave a positive legacy for generations to come. Digital should address these challenges — and hopefully not exacerbate them.

In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, renowned author Jane Jacobs states, “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” The responsibility of government therefore is not just to make decisions but to ensure parity and justice for all and to boldly use whatever means at their disposal to empower each and every citizen with the right to be heard on how these decisions will affect them.

To some extent, this is already happening. In Helsinki, for example, the adoption of digital infrastructure and open data has produced a collaborative and inclusive ecosystem that benefits government, business and citizens alike. The Helsinki City Strategy is being driven by a local government with a defined purpose: to improve the quality of life of its citizens through digital solutions and to achieve the city goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035.

Similarly in Singapore, which ranked first on the Institute for Management Development (IMD) Smart City Index 2020, the government is utilizing digital innovation to deliver community-focused projects across areas such as smart mobility, healthcare, safety and governance, resulting in overall improved livability for all its citizens. This Smart Nation initiative was launched in 2016 with the aim of using technology to create new opportunities and to better the lives of its people.

The importance of digital to resilience

The lessons we are learning from Helsinki, Singapore and other aspiring digital cities is the key role that governments can play in implementing people-centered planning strategies and creating shared value across communities. At the same time, we are beginning to see how this shared value — and in particular, a shared higher purpose — can help cities be more resilient to urban challenges, both expected and unexpected.

If we look, for example, at the coronavirus, we see the critical role that governments played in developing, managing and coordinating the responses to the pandemic. Countries and regions that have been more successful are those that have applied digital technologies to support public health responses. Whether through the creation of contact-tracing apps or the use of mobility data to help manage human traffic flows, innovative use of interconnected digital data and government efforts — combined with full stakeholder collaboration — have been crucial in the fight against the pandemic.

A resilient city is one that is built to last and bounce back from crises, whether it is a global pandemic or some other unexpected event. Maintaining social and economic strength is assisted in no small part by the government, its citizens and the infrastructure a city is built on. Digital technology makes this aspiration more attainable.

How can governments ride the digital wave?

To obtain the best value from digital technologies, local governments should:

• Be clear on what outcomes are expected, whether it is to protect and empower marginalized groups or to build overall resilience
• Collect information and data that can be strategically analyzed to detect needs and gaps in the social fabric of their cities
• Ensure that people have access to digital services and open platforms so that the government can listen to the views articulated by the users of infrastructures
• Collaborate with key stakeholders such as businesses and communities, through interconnectivity and use of digital arenas for exchange of ideas
• Be open and honest

A future outlook

The good news is that the digital city of the future is not a distant pipe dream — rather it is something that is happening right now. As we have seen, many cities around the world are now starting to deliver on the digital city promise.

But more can be done. Whether that is the provision of universal access to healthcare, education, mobility, or the necessity of environmental solutions being written into digital city strategies, now is the time for governments and citizens to jointly act and to begin looking at digital cities through a new and different lens, and to aim toward a higher purpose.

The devastating impacts of climate change and the coronavirus have brought into focus the important role that governments must play in establishing and coordinating the purpose that provides the foundation for this development. Crucially, we also need to recognize that, in driving the city of the future, governments must find approaches to engage all stakeholders to buy into and believe in the common purpose, and empower them to participate in shared value and benefits arising from the outcomes.