IEEE P7803
What is this standard?
The Inclusive Sustainable Smart Cities (ISSC) standard is a transformative framework designed to rethink how cities function, moving away from the traditional profit-driven, growth-centric model toward a more holistic, automated system that prioritizes human well-being, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and technological advancement. The ISSC is a standard series conceptualizing cities as programmable ecosystems, where essential services such as healthcare, food, water, sanitation, education, and housing are autonomously managed by AI and robotics. The ISSC framework evaluates cities across five key pillars—Social Inclusion and Community Readiness, Environmental Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure, Intelligent Autonomous Infrastructure and Participatory Governance, Self-Sufficiency and Equitable Economic Development, and Social Safety Net and Comprehensive Civil Defense System—each of which has specific indicators and sub-indicators to assess a city's overall inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.
The ISSC standard envisions a city that operates like a living organism, where the physical infrastructure serves as the “skeleton” and the autonomous services provided by AI act as the "nervous system," regulating the city's essential functions. The standard also emphasizes data competence, encouraging residents to contribute their data and skills in exchange for the free provision of essential services. In this ecosystem, all essential needs are met autonomously, ensuring that the survival and well-being of every resident is never at risk.
The ISSC standard seeks to create cities that transition society from an Individualistic Transactional Society focused on profit to a Collectivistic Community-Oriented Society that prioritizes well-being, sustainability, and inclusivity.
Why is it important?
The ISSC standard is crucial because it addresses many of the critical challenges facing urban environments today, such as rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, social inequality, and the over-reliance on profit-driven economic models. The ISSC standard moves beyond traditional economic measures, such as GDP, to focus on quality of life and social well-being. It shifts the city’s role from being an exclusive marketplace to a community-oriented ecosystem that fosters inclusivity and social cohesion. By incorporating technologies such as AI, Digital Twin, and blockchain, Inclusive Sustainable Smart Cities (ISSC) create a platform for participatory governance that actively involves citizens in decision-making processes. This level of engagement fosters transparency and accountability, making residents feel heard and valued. As a result, these cities cultivate a sense of belonging and trust among citizens, leading to greater social cohesion. By ensuring that technology serves everyone and no one is left behind, ISSC cities not only advance in innovation but also build stronger, more united communities.
What is a real-world example/case study of how this might help?
Beyond transforming existing cities, the ISSC standard unlocks significant potential for creating new cities from the ground up, designed as holistic ecosystems that incorporate the entire range of ISSC principles. For instance, envision a greenfield project in a region like the Middle East or Sub-Saharan Africa, where an entirely new smart city is built with no pre-existing infrastructure constraints. This clean slate enables planners to seamlessly integrate AI-driven systems, autonomous transportation, and smart energy grids from day one, allowing the city to develop in harmony with the environment and its residents' needs.
The impact of these new cities extends well beyond urban efficiency—they can serve as global examples of sustainability and inclusivity while attracting climate-conscious investors, technologists, and innovative governance structures. These cities can become testbeds for carbon-neutral technologies, circular economies, and autonomous public services, showcasing how future cities can operate as intelligent, interconnected ecosystems that prioritize human well-being and environmental stewardship over unchecked growth and profit-driven models. Ultimately, this approach fosters cities that are not only self-sustaining and future-proof but also inspire a new era of human habitats, fully aligned with the ISSC vision.
What stage is it at?
The development of the ISSC standard is currently at the draft outline stage, which means the core framework, pillars, and indicators have been conceptualized. The draft is nearly complete, and the next step will involve refining the technical details, ensuring interoperability, and engaging with various stakeholders for input before formalizing it into an official IEEE standard.
What is the current geographical or disciplinary spread of your working members?
The working members contributing to the development of this standard are globally distributed and highly multidisciplinary. They include experts from various fields such as urban planning, artificial intelligence, robotics, environmental sustainability, economics, and governance. This global participation ensures that the standard addresses the diverse challenges faced by cities across different regions and contexts.
Contributors include professionals from both developed and developing countries, ensuring that the standard is adaptable to cities with varying levels of technological infrastructure.
What type of people might be interested or well suited for this standards group?
The following groups and individuals are likely to be interested in or well-suited for this standards group:
- Sustainability-focused/Climate-Impact Investors
- Climate action project developers
- Carbon removal/sequestration technologists
- Sustainability-minded Technology Corporations
- International technology and financial agencies
- Government and government-related entities and agencies
- Relevant academic researchers
- Educational institutions
- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foundations
- Financial Institutions
- Think tanks, grantors, and investors
- Smart City Developers
These groups share a vested interest in promoting sustainability, resilience, and technological innovation in urban environments, aligning with the goals of the ISSC standard.
What triggered your own interest in this area?
As a medical professional, I became increasingly aware of how artificial urban environments and limited access to essential services harm society’s overall well-being. Observing how these environments contribute to mental, physical, and social health issues, I realized that our cities are often designed with profit and economic growth as primary objectives, rather than prioritizing the quality of life of their residents. This inspired me to consider a new approach to urban design—one that mirrors the way the human body autonomously maintains balance and health.
The Inclusive Sustainable Smart Cities (ISSC) framework aims to create cities that function like self-sustaining ecosystems, similar to the human body’s ability to regulate itself automatically. Just as our body’s systems—such as the nervous and immune systems—continuously monitor, adapt, and respond to our needs without conscious effort, AI and robotics can automate and optimize essential city functions. By allowing cities to autonomously handle services like energy management, transportation, and waste disposal, ISSC cities can focus on enhancing residents’ well-being. This approach not only improves efficiency but also ensures that cities are designed to nurture health, inclusivity, and social cohesion, much like the human body maintains its own optimal functioning.
Call to Action
You are invited to join us! If you would like to participate, please get in touch and email me at [email protected] or contact the IEEE Standards Association Program Manager, Christy Bahn, [email protected] to indicate your interest. You can also see the entire PAR and indicate your interest at https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/7803/11412/.
