Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth

This paper has been prepared in the framework of the OECD Programme on Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth. It offers a synthesis of the lively discussions held during the 1st OECD Roundtable on Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth enriched with analytical research. While the COVID-19 pandemic had not hit yet at the time of the 1st OECD Roundtable, leveraging the benefits of smart cities will be particularly critical to help cities and countries manage and rebound from this unprecedented global crisis. At a time of physical distancing and lockdown, digital technologies are playing a major role in relaying real-time life-saving information, ensure the continuity of key public services (for example through remote education) and bridge social isolation. If well connected with inclusive growth objectives, smart city tools and applications can offer a powerful tool to support the shift from in-person to remote service delivery, mitigate the fallout of the crisis on urban residents and businesses, including the most vulnerable ones, and empower new forms of local governance. The OECD Programme on Smart Cities and Inclusive Growth will continue to assist local and national policy makers with data, best practices and policy recommendations to shape a healthier and brighter future for all.