Last edited 05 Nov 2020

PAS 181:2014 Smart city Framework. Guide to establishing strategies for smart cities and communities

Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) are sponsored, fast-track standards, specifications, codes of practice or guidelines developed by sponsoring organisations to meet an immediate market need following guidelines set out by BSI (British Standards Institution). Within 2 years, they are reviewed to assess whether the PAS should be revised, withdrawn, or whether it should become a formal British Standard or international standard.

PAS 181:2014 Smart city Framework. Guide to establishing strategies for smart cities and communities, was first published in February 2014 and came into effect on 28 February 2014. It was sponsored by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

This smart city framework (SCF) is aimed at UK city leaders of all levels, to help them to develop, agree and deliver smart city strategies. It provides practical advice, reflecting current good practice, focussing on the enabling processes by which innovative use of technology, data and organisational change can deliver efficient, effective and sustainable cities. It suggests that this involves enabling cities to:

make current and future citizen needs the driving force behind all city spaces and systems;
integrate physical and digital planning;
identify, anticipate and respond to emerging challenges in a systematic, agile and sustainable way;
create a step-change in the capacity for joined-up delivery and innovation across organizational boundaries within the city.

It was developed alongside PAS 180:2014 Smart cities – Vocabulary, which provides a first set of working terms to help converge discussions about the future of cities, ensuring that developers, designers, manufacturers and clients use a common language.

PAS 182, Smart city concept model, a guide to establishing a model for data interoperability to help develop a better picture of the needs and behaviours of a city’s citizens, is currently in preparation.

Scott Steedman, director of standards at BSI, said: “If we are to make the most of the global opportunities from smart cities, we need to work fast to structure the knowledge that can help city leaders, communities, innovators and technology providers to recognise what good looks like and how these concepts can bring benefits for all.”