Methodology

For this study, a desk research identified 18 urban AI use cases corresponding to six predefined topics of sustainable urban development. Based on this selection, six use cases were shortlisted for in-depth analysis (see table 1 below). This includes interviews with the key project stakeholders.

Selection process and shortlisting

To obtain a general overview of the latest AI implementations in the urban domain, an initial stage of desk research was carried out using the internet, literature and scientific papers in Spring 2020 to identify use cases for each predefined topic of interest (urban planning, finance, building, water/wastewater, waste management, mobility). The selection process was guided by the following principles:

• Project location: Aiming for a wide spread of projects across the world • Readiness: Aiming for a high level of implementation readiness • Ability to support SDGs, including: – Universality – Leaving no one behind – Interconnectedness and Indivisibility – Inclusiveness – Multi-stakeholder partnerships • Dimensions of an integrated approach towards sustainable urban development, such as: – Multi-stakeholder cooperation – Inter-sectoral approach – Multi-level governance – Intercommunal cooperation • Existing contact with project leaders/experts

Three use cases were identified for each of the six topics. These 18 use cases were then reviewed and evaluated in line with the above principles to identify one use case per topic that could then be shortlisted for in-depth research in the next step.

Interviews

A series of six interviews were conducted with contact persons who were ready to share information on their use case. Each interview followed a semi-structured pattern (see list of questions in Annex B). This approach allowed us to gain insights into the guiding questions complemented by additional information. The interviews were conducted in Spring 2020 via Skype and took one hour. They were recorded and the answers are summarized in the following chapters of this report.