Smart Cities

Our history  

The Alliance operated between 2019 and 2025.  The mission was to tackle urgent crises facing cities and communities globally by mobilizing public-private leaders to accelerate intelligent, practical solutions and create viable pathways for building resilient cities. 

It was led by the World Economic Forum's Centre for Urban Transformation. The alliance's insights and solutions can be found on the Centre's toolbox of solutions. 

Impact areas 

The alliance engaged businesses, industries, governments, civil societies, and academics globally, built consensus on best practices, identified exemplifier solutions and use cases, enabled implementation, and led thought leadership across three impact areas.

Urban Resilience 

Fostered intelligent solutions to address sustainability, disaster and extreme weather challenges related to heatwaves, flooding and sinking.

Public Well-Being

Promoted thought leadership on urban well-being and advance commitments to make technologies, essential services and built environments for inclusion.

Innovative Governance 

Accelerated adoption of responsible technology and other model practices and use of the smart cities policy benchmarking tool regionally.

Featured insights and solutions 

Resilient Economies: Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks

An insight report highlighting the pathways for addressing compounding risks from land subsidence and extreme weather event to built infrastructure, economic and societal resilience (2025). 

Resilient Economies: Flood Adaptation Infrastructure Innovations - Japan

A briefing paper on infrastructure innovations across urban-rural areas of Japan, enabling immediate and long-term adaptation and building resilient to increasing flood risks (2026).

Adaptive Reuse of Built Assets

A model policy on repurposing existing buildings and assets to extend their lifespan (2024).

Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA)

A model policy to create WLCA legislation and policies for major developments (2023).

Adoption Playbook for Whole Life Carbon

A playbook supporting the adoption of WLCA policy and overcoming challenges (2024).

Practitioners Guide to Whole Life Carbon

A guide for practitioners on ways to comply and prepare for WLCA implementation (2024). 

Innovation Friendly Procurement Model Policy
Unlocking Smart Cities Innovation: Procurement Approach (C4IR-KSA)
Public Sector Asset Use Model Policy
Dig Once Model Policy
Cyber Accountability Model Policy 
Cyber Resilience Model Policy
Privacy Impact Assessment Model Policy
Open Data Model Policy
Open Contracting Model Policy
ICT Accessibility Model Policy
Governing Smart Cities Use Cases
Building Regional Alliance for Urban Transformation Briefing Paper  
Regional Alliance Playbook
Governing Smart Cities Policy Benchmarking for Ethical and Responsible Smart Cities Development White Paper

Relevance 

As the world urbanizes, sustainable development, societial well-being and economic growth depend increasingly on solving pressing issues and the successful management of cities.  

By taking a people-centric approach, cities can solve problems in energy, transportation, health and disasters, while make their communities more resilient, equitable and sustainable.  But progress depends on adopting the right solutions (whether they are technological or not) and ensuring these solutions are used responsibly.  

The Alliance was established by the 2019 G20 Presidency discussions to address such challenges with the World Economic Forum serving as the secretariat.  

2019

Founded through the G20 Presidencies of Japan and Saudi Arabia where smart city governance was raised as an international priority, and the World Economic Forum became the secretariat.

2021

Established a policy roadmap on technology governance, validated by 36 Pioneer Cities globally. The alliance recieves the Goverance and Economy Award at the Smart City Expo World Congress.   

2023

To date, published 10+ model policies and other tools curated by global experts accelerate tech governance and net-zero goals. Cities globally adopt model polices and use the benchmarking tool.

2025

The alliance evolves its mission to consider tech and non-tech solutions to address city challenges and places greater focus on tackling urgent crises faced by cities and communities. 

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Introduction

2019

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History 

2020

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Initial Policy Roadmap

2020

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Akaishi San, Vice Minister for Innovation Policy, Japan

2020

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HE Eng. Haytham Al-Ohali, Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia

2020

Frequently asked questions

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Smart Cities

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