The TOSCA Case: How Open-Source Spatial and Digital Decision Support Tools Help Urban Agglomerations to Leapfrog Towards Smart Sustainable Cities

Considering the rapid pace of global urbanization especially in emerging economies of the global South, this article addresses governance approaches for the sustainable development of cities which seek to transform into smart cities. It focuses on leapfrogging as a governance concept for cities thriving towards sustainable development and describes the role of open source digital tools as accelerators for this transition. On such premises, the Toolkit for Open and Sustainable City Planning and Analysis (TOSCA) will be presented as a case study. The paper provides an overview of its conceptualization and implementation in two pilots regions. An overview of the gains and difficulties from the empirical process is discussed, concluding with learnings and challenges for further implementation in other regions, and for the sustainable incorporation of open-source digital tools in urban and regional governance.