Bilbao City Council has carried out the fourth edition of the international study "Smart Cities Study", which focuses on the digital resilience of cities in the face of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus and is part of the UCLG Practical Community of Digital Cities.

The aim of the work is threefold: on the one hand, to know the pre-pandemic situation of cities, identifying their level of digitization and the resources and "Smart" tools available to them; on the other hand, to study the impact of the pandemic in different areas of local governance and to determine what measures or new “Smart” tools were used to deal with the negative consequences and to what extent these actions have served to increase urban resilience; and, finally, an assessment of the usefulness of new measures and tools to deal with future crises.

The study also aims to promote the exchange of knowledge, including various good practices developed by cities.
35 cities from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia participated in the study, including Ostend (Belgium), Lappeenranta (Finland), Utrecht (New Zealand), Mexico City (Mexico), Córdoba (Argentina), Izmir (Turkey), Bogotá. (Colombia), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Seoul (South Korea) or Xi'an (China).

The work examines 6 areas where it is understood that the adoption of digital tools has been a key component in responding effectively to the impact of coronavirus and has served to increase resilience in the current scenario. Areas include mobility and transport, public services, institutional functioning, citizen relations and citizen participation, the economy, as well as education and training.

Conclusions of the study

The cities involved in this study believe that the Smart City transformation process is a key tool for resilience to future crises. They emphasize that these digitization processes must be taken into account by all citizens so that the digital transformation of public policies does not become inaccessible to those in a vulnerable situation. They also added that this transformation must take into account the digital rights that are considered essential for an inclusive and resilient recovery of COVID-19.

One of the conclusions is that the use of digital tools has been present in all areas of urban competence and that it is possible to respond to the pandemic more efficiently and effectively with Smart resources and tools.

The study indicates that all areas of government have had a medium, large or very large impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic area is clearly highlighted above the rest. Among the areas where the impact of coronavirus has been best fought with digital tools are Public Services and Education and Training.

The research is available in Spanish and English and is available on the UCLG Digital Cities Practice Community website.

"Smart Cities Study"

The main goal of the Digital Cities Practice Community is to update the Smart Cities Study. A proposed study with a global and transversal view of the different levers that experience the potential for growth and transformation of a city.

So far, 3 editions have been published:

• 2012: The first edition of the study provides a HOLISTIC approach to Smart Cities, which focuses on 6 main areas of action that affect the development of cities: Economy, Citizenship, Governance, Mobility, Environment and Quality of Life.
• 2017: The second edition of the study focused on the “ECONOMY” axis, which examines key factors related to Smart Cities in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship; knowledge and talent; and the digital society and economy.
• 2019: The third edition of the study focused on “GOVERNANCE”. This edition examined the key keys to smart governance and its key areas of activity, open government and advanced strategic urban management as factors in the transformation of Smart Cities.