This Issue Brief views digital devices not merely as a technology, but also as tools that are spawning new uses. Setting aside the ideal of the smart city, it approaches ICTs as operational tools that disrupt traditional urban functions (basic services management, economic development…) and the modalities of public action (planning, administration…). In In Asia, Africa, Latin America, new actors are positioning themselves on niches where public action is either absent or failing, and new unexpected uses are emerging, albeit with a direct link to on-the-ground urban dynamics. The challenge is thus becoming less one of technical efficiency and more one of urban governance and local government’s capacity to channel ICTs into making the digital transition a driver of sustainable urban development.
