How prepared are cities in the country to harness the potential of technology and innovation for sustainable and inclusive urban development? How ready are city governments to lead a transition towards cities of the future, which are more liveable, healthy, clean, safe, resilient, pleasant to live in and offering diverse economic and cultural opportunities? Can technology help leapfrog development? Looking in more depth into these questions prompted the initiation of the Smart Sarajevo Initiative.

These trends, coupled with the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, will inevitably affect cities in the world and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Agenda 2030 recognises the important role of cities and sets high development targets aiming to resolve chronic urban challenges such as transportation, energy consumption, air pollution, resilience, housing, social exclusion, etc. At the same time, cities consume more than 65% of the world’s energy and generate more than 70% of greenhouse gases. A UN report predicts that by 2050 more than two-thirds of the planet’s population will live in cities.

Cities are the powerhouses of growth and innovation. Globally, more than 60% of the world’s population lives in cities, more than 70% works in cities, while 80% of the world’s economic value is generated in cities.

What is global city initiative