Enabling Good Practices to Manage Infrastructure Assets for Sustainable Development

Beset by budgetary and political constraints, officials in developing countries face challenges in managing infrastructure investments. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has identified infrastructure asset management (IAM) as a key challenge in improving state capacity and achieving its sustainable development goals (SDGs). This project centers on IAM at the sub-national level in developing regions. The team hypothesize that investments in connected and open data systems can reduce information asymmetry, lower asset management costs, and empower subnational asset managers in executing strategic management plans.

The project looked at the value of smart city technologies in four case studies: (1) Izmir, Türkiye’s open data portal to improve wastewater management; (2) Cairo, Egypt’s application of data infrastructure to facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and help farmers increase yields and public water usage efficiency; (3) Bhubaneshwar, India’s utilization of a unified data architecture to improve traffic and air quality management; and (4) San Juan, Puerto Rico’s potential adoption of digital monitoring systems to increase climate resilience. 

Each case study showcased how connected information management systems can assist IAM for a variety of asset types and economic contexts. The team found evidence that more connected data systems can lower costs by reducing data siloing and providing new revenue streams via responsible data monetization. They also found that open information systems increase transparency and can provide asset managers with a more holistic view of the asset. Finally, the Capstone team found smart city technologies provide valuable data that empower subnational asset managers in creating strategic management plans.