ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund

What is the fund?

The fund is a single-donor trust fund established on April 2019, under the Urban Financing Partnership Facility. The fund adopts an operational focus on building livable cities that are green, competitive, inclusive, and resilient, consistent with ADB’s Strategy 2030 and the ASEAN’s Sustainable Urbanization Strategy which aims to promote high quality of life, competitive economies, and sustainable environments.

What are the priorities?

The fund will support activities that will enable cities to facilitate adaptation and adoption of digital solutions, systems and governance systems in the participating cities.

What kind of activities are eligible for the fund?

The fund will support project preparation and implementation, financing and associated capacity development in the following output areas:

• Planning systems. The fund supports cities to enhance their planning process for collecting, storing, analyzing and utilizing data on a geospatial platform. Activities may include, among others, (i) data interpretation using satellite imagery for analyzing spatial and temporal land use patterns vis-à-vis urban sprawl, building climate change resilience, water flow patterns, etc.; (ii) use of wireless communication, connected sensors, and IoT as tools for location intelligence; and (iii) crowd sourcing of data using a variety of applications and techniques.
• Service delivery. The fund aids the promotion and use of integrated and smart network management systems to strengthen operational systems and to improve quality and efficiency of service delivery. Activities may include, among others, the use of information and communication technologies for real time operational management of assets, the use of algorithm-based and cloud-based hydraulic models, leak detection methods for better water resources management, wireless meter reading and the reduction of non-revenue water through the installation of sensors and pressure gauges that transmit real-time information.
• Financial management. The fund recognizes the need for an integrated financial management information system to improve institutional credit worthiness and fiscal standing. This system provides a seamless integration of the entire budget cycle from planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting to ensure limited financing is utilized in the most efficient manner and promotes better transparency and accountability.

In each of the output areas, the fund will prioritize digital solutions which enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment, social inclusiveness and address climate change.

Who is eligible to receive the fund?

Developing member countries in Southeast Asia.

Who supports the fund?

The Government of Australia supports the fund through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).