Summary

A “smart city” uses technology to improve urban planning and processes, but it also needs people to bring it to life. Talented people live and work within a smart city, using urban spaces and amenities in their day-to-day life, engaging with public and private concerns, and bringing their expertise to pressing problems. Some of these people take diverse paths to work in smart city occupations, including interdisciplinary fields like health technology, urban design, and sustainability, as well as technologyfocused fields like IT operations and cybersecurity.

This report combines insights from four surveys totalling over 2,400 respondents and conversations with 47 experts who were asked, 1) What types of pathways are there into a “smart city” career? and 2) How can municipalities attract and retain the people tracing these pathways?
 

Report

To cite this report:

Akshay Kotak, Faun Rice, and Maya Watson, Bringing a “Smart City” to Life: Understanding Talent Development, Attraction, and Retention, (Ottawa, ON: Information and Communications Technology Council, August 2022).