Best practices in the world's smartest cities

How do the smartest cities manage development in areas like the environment, mobility and transport, human capital and economy?

The world is experiencing the largest increase in urban growth in history. Today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities and it is forecast that nearly 70 percent will be city dwellers by 2050.

This unprecedented growth in urbanization has the potential to bring significant benefits for citizens — including new jobs, well-being and economic growth. However, rapid urbanization also creates formidable challenges — including pressure on scarce resources, greater demand for basic infrastructure and public services, and greater socioeconomic inequality.

Cities must be able to solve economic, social and environmental problems simultaneously, in all cases with the aim of improving the welfare and quality of life of their residents. In their search for sustainable, equitable, connected and innovative city models, municipal leaders around the world look at the experiences of other cities to get ideas and study best practices. Although there is no "one size fits all" solution, a new book series from IESE aims to help city managers create urban areas that are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.

The books' authors — professors Pascual Berrone and Joan Enric Ricart with researchers Ana Isabel Duch T-Figueras, Larisa Tatge and Esther Brito — examine some of the actions, projects and initiatives that have had the best results in cities internationally, so that other cities around the world can build on the most successful approaches and adapt them to their local realities and needs.

The book series is based on IESE's Cities in Motion model, which includes an innovative approach to the governance of cities and a new urban model for the 21st century based on 10 key areas or dimensions: the environment, mobility and transportation, human capital, social cohesion, the economy, public management, governance, urban planning, technology, and international outreach.

Each volume in this series provides an overview of the main challenges regarding a specific dimension and exhibits some of the most successful initiatives and actions that have been adopted in regard to that area in different cities around the world. Despite the fact that each area is covered in a separate volume of its own, all the key areas must be seen as different parts of a system that works as one. All the dimensions are interconnected and actions in one area affect other areas at the same time. Therefore, the available resources must be shared and managed together in order to achieve sustainable, lively, healthy and safe cities.

In sum, the IESE "Cities in Motion" book series aims to contribute to the debate on smart urban governance by developing valuable ideas and innovative tools that can lead to smarter and more sustainable cities, while promoting real change at the local level and improving people's quality of life.

Volumes available

• Cities and Governance: The Rise of Cities as Global Actors, published July 2022.
• Cities and Technology: Building Cities in the Age of Information, published March 2022. See "Smart cities tackling tech challenges: cybersecurity, privacy and the digital divide."
• Cities and International Outreach: The Era of the Global City, published December 2019. See: "How to be a global city that's not a victim of its own success."
• Cities and Social Cohesion: Designing More Inclusive Urban Areas, published October 2017. See: "From margin to center: fostering social cohesion in cities."
• Cities and the Economy: Fueling Growth, Jobs and Innovation, published January 2017. See "Boosting sustainable growth via the world's cities"
• Cities and Mobility and Transportation: Towards the Next Generation of Urban Mobility, published July 2016. See "Setting the wheels in motion for sustainable transportation."
• Cities and the Environment: The Challenge of Becoming Green and Sustainable, published May 2016. See "Greening up in the city."