Objectives of this group:

The Monitoring and Measuring Group wants to bring relevant city initiatives, associations and platforms of cities as well as interested signatory cities together to develop a solid and unique framework for measuring and monitoring sustainable digital transformation processes. Key elements in digital transformation and scaling up digital innovation are shared knowledge, vision and action. Developing and validating local key performance indicators and data collection procedures for common and transparent monitoring, to be able to compare smart city solutions across European cities, is a crucial horizontal element in all digitalization efforts.

In order to promote digital transformation and the scaling up of digital innovation in cities and communities, the Living-in.EU movement and Monitoring and Measuring Working Group, would like to better understand what different actors are doing, what works, what does not and why.

With the support of the Living-in.EU signatories, together with European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions, ESPON and the Living-in.EU partners, the Monitoring and Measuring Working Group contributed to:

• The LORDI (Local and Regional Digital Indicators) framework, which aims to support digital transformation efforts across Europe by providing the necessary evidence on what is happening on the local and regional level to help different cities and communities benchmark themselves with others in order to develop better policies and actions. It helps cities and regions to develop and steer the relevant policies, to fulfil the commitments and actions and to support access to different financing opportunities. This set of indicators maps cities and regions in 5 broad categories: 1) local digital infrastructure; 2) local digital skills and capacity building; 3) local digital economy and services; 4) governance and digital single market; and 5) socioeconomic context.

• The LORDIMAS (Local and Regional Digital Maturity Assessment tool, an annual self-assessment exercise and a tool designed for local, metropolitan and regional governments. The Assessment focusses on multiple aspects linked to wider EU-led policy initiatives which are related to governance, service design, data management, interoperability, service delivery, technology and networking. It is designed to be used as an annual monitoring exercise to see how individual governments, and Europe as a whole, are transforming over time. The detailed data about the digital transition trends on the ground enables local and regional governments to make informed policy decisions to improve their standing and deliver better value to their citizens.

The key objective for the M&M Working Group in 2024 will be supporting the use of the LORDIMASS tool and ensuring its take up, to achieve a critical mass of cities, regions and communities answering the survey.

Interested city representatives are most welcome to join us.