Smart City Strategy and Implementation

This unit examines how cities organize, govern, plan, and implement smart city initiatives, exploring organizational models, team structures, policy and governance, urban technologies, data stewardship, and security. It builds on foundational concepts and prepares learners to create actionable, equitable implementation plans and transition into technical development and deployment in later units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze common smart city organizational models, stakeholder roles (including public-private partnerships), and governance structures, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and implications for project success
• Evaluate historical and contemporary drivers of urban change — including the industrial revolutions and modern urban technologies — to build a data-informed case for smarter city investments and expected outcomes
• Design a codified smart city strategy and implementation plan that defines team composition, governance, milestones, policy considerations, and measures for equity and sustainability
• Apply data governance, digital security, and privacy best practices to urban data workflows by selecting appropriate technical controls and mitigation strategies for identified risks