This blog was originally published on Apolitical.

Summary:

• The problem: In an era of rapid urbanization, cities play an important role in advancing toward a sustainable, liveable, inclusive, and connected future. However, digital solutions are often expensive and therefore out of reach for many cities. This includes risks of costly vendor lock-in, limited in-house digital skills and limited public participation to adequately respond to people’s needs.
• Why it matters: Open source enables innovative solutions to be more widely accessible by fostering openness and transparency in both technological approaches and organisational mindsets, behaviours and practices. It contributes to ensuring that the benefits of urban transformation are distributed equitably, leaving no one behind.
• The solution: Cities should embrace open source and support its adoption, as it provides affordable, customizable, and flexible solutions. However, it is important to recognize that open source is not just about technology – it also represents a shift in culture and capacity within cities. Embracing open source means fostering a mindset of openness, collaboration, and innovation, which encourages a participatory process that empowers cities to engage more effectively in digital transformation.

Open Source in “Future Cities”

The significance of cities has never been greater, as urban populations continue to rise worldwide. By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people are expected to reside in urban areas. Cities are already playing a crucial role in offering opportunities and improving lives, especially as they are often the closest administrative actor to people and businesses. The idea of “Future Cities” – one that is sustainable, liveable, inclusive, and connected – is not only pivotal but relevant to everyone. To fulfil this vision, cities need to employ a broad urban toolkit that reflects the diversity of cities, their populations and priorities.

A critical ingredient in urban transformation is open source solutions. This term does not only refer to the technological approach – where software, hardware, and data are accessible, useable, or alterable by anyone – but also to a way of thinking and working that embraces a more open and participatory approach to innovation, urban engagement and governance. Central to this approach are the principles of transparency, collaboration, inclusivity and community, which corresponds to the need of “Future Cities” – places where city residents are at the centre of development.

It is hardly surprising that the use of open source is gaining recognition, though its adoption is not yet as widespread as it could be. Various digital roadmaps and frameworks have prioritised the integration of open source as an integral aspect of the digital transformation journey. Notably, the Principles for Digital Development identifies creating open and transparent practices essential for building confidence and good governance. More recently, the United Nations Global Digital Compact commits to “develop, disseminate and maintain, through multi-stakeholder cooperation, open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models and open standards that benefit society as a whole”. In this context, UNDP highlights “default to open” as one of its digital standards. These principles and standards frame the open source as a fundamental cornerstone for sustainable digital transformation, enabling digital tools to fulfil its potential to drive sustainable development – especially since 70% of SDGs benefit from the use of digital tools.

Unlocking the Benefits of Open Source

The use of open source has many potential benefits, as numerous cities have demonstrated. One major advantage is its potential for significant cost savings, as cities reduce their dependence on proprietary technologies and avoid vendor lock-in. Additionally, open source empowers cities to build in-house digital expertise and talent, reducing reliance on external vendors. By fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing, open source helps nurturing local innovation ecosystems, enabling stakeholders to co-create digital solutions, such as the DIGIT Urban Stack (India), which encourages this co-creation through a set of open APIs and services. This, in turn, further strengthens cities' capacities to address their unique challenges more effectively.

It’s important to recognise that open source also involves a shift in individual and organisational behaviour. By adopting an open source approach in thinking and working, cities enhance transparency in processes and decision-making, increase agility in both planning and execution, and establish feedback loops with residents to ensure ongoing alignment with community needs. When embraced more broadly, open source enables city governments to respond more effectively to the growing range of urban challenges, foster more resilient institutions, and strengthen local digital and innovation ecosystems.

Open Source in Action

Tactical efforts are in full swing to promote the adoption of open source and unleash its potential. Its importance was demonstrated in the COVID-19 response and recovery, and further explored during the Future of Government Awards organised by the UNDP, the AWS Institute and Public Digital. These awards, championing and showcasing best practices in digital solutions for the public sector, feature two categories: open source creation and open source adaptation.

Open source, driven by its core principle of interoperability, has immense potential to enhance public service delivery. A noteworthy example is the Cambodia Data Exchange (CamDX), recognized as the Open Source Adaptation of the Year in the Future of Government Awards 2023. It is an open source data exchange platform designed to enable secure and efficient data sharing among government agencies. This case highlighted the potential and effectiveness of open source in enhancing the efficiency and quality of digital public service delivery. Breaking down data silos and unify digital service and platforms, open source enhances interoperability and overcomes major challenge to service delivery.

Open source can also play a crucial role in enhancing transparency and public trust, exemplified by the Visor Urbano public online platform, a finalist for Open Source Creation at the Future of Government Awards 2023. This city land-use management platform promotes transparency by openly displaying business licensing and construction permit processes, effectively reducing the risk of corruption and fostering greater accountability in urban governance. Open source opens up decision-making processes, data and digital infrastructure, thereby fosters a culture of transparency and encourages residents to participate more actively in urban governance. It results in more responsive and inclusive policymaking, along with improved service delivery that aligns more closely with the needs and aspirations of local communities.