# What Is a Smart City: 2019 ISO 37122 Indicators — Which Projects to Fund

Hadley Sims · October 9, 2026

> Learn how ISO 37122 smart city indicators and cost-control KPIs like CPI, SPI, and EAC help officials score projects and decide which ones to fund.

| Takeaway | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Gate funding on the six named cost-control KPIs: CV, SV, CPI, SPI, BAC, and EAC. | Key cost control KPIs — CV, SV, CPI, SPI, BAC, and EAC — monitor, evaluate, and improve the financial performance of projects (Cleopatra Enterprise, Oct 29, 2025). |
| Score every candidate project on four delivery-health dimensions: schedule, cost, risk, and quality. | Project performance KPIs help teams track schedule, cost, risk, quality, and overall delivery health (PMOBlogs, Mar 21, 2026). |
| Structure indicators so deliverables connect to city strategy through named KPIs, metrics, and practical selection criteria. | Project management indicators should be structured to connect deliverables to the organization's strategy, with KPIs, metrics, and practical selection criteria for choosing them (Actio Software, Sep 3, 2026). |
| Before committing, verify the live, complete indicator option and compare bids on like-for-like totals and terms. | Reader rule: fund nothing from a summary or partial list — confirm the full option as it stands live and normalize totals and terms across every candidate before ranking. |

This guide explains what a smart city means under the 2019 ISO 37122 indicator framework and shows planners how to apply project performance indicators — schedule, cost, risk, and quality, plus cost-control metrics such as CV, CPI, and EAC — to decide which "smart" projects deserve funding.

Every funding decision follows one rule: verify the live, complete indicator option before committing, and compare projects on like-for-like totals and terms.

![Aerial dawn view modern city where green rooftops](https://static.mm-ais.com/article-images-ai/what-is-a-smart-city-2019-iso-37122-indi-ai-e4163060.jpg)
Aerial dawn view modern city where green rooftops

## Comparison

When two smart city proposals compete for the same funding line, the winner is not the one with the slickest dashboard. It is the one whose live earned value numbers prove it can deliver on budget and on schedule. This section alone compares options side by side with a winner, using the cost and schedule performance indicators that project control teams already track. The method is straightforward: compute the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) for each candidate project, then fund the option that sits at or above 1.0 on both measures.

| Project | CPI (EV ÷ AC) | SPI (EV ÷ PV) | Winner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Smart streetlight retrofit (LED + centralized controls) | 1.0 | 1.0 | ✓ |
| Adaptive traffic signal system (AI-based corridor) | 0.9 | 0.9 | ✗ |

The table uses the earned value formulas that cost control guides rely on: CPI compares earned value to actual cost, and SPI compares earned value to planned value. A reading of 1.0 means the project is exactly on plan; below 1.0 signals overrun or delay. In this comparison, the streetlight retrofit is delivering value at the planned rate, while the traffic signal project is running behind plan and over budget.

## What to do next

| Step | Action | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Verify the live, complete option before committing by checking the six named cost-control KPIs (CV, SV, CPI, SPI, BAC, EAC) against current project data. | Ensures financial performance is monitored, evaluated, and improved before funding decisions are finalized. |
| 2 | Score every candidate project on the four delivery-health dimensions: schedule, cost, risk, and quality. | Provides a structured evaluation aligned with project performance KPIs that track overall delivery health. |
| 3 | Compare like-for-like totals and terms across all candidate projects using the same KPI thresholds. | Prevents skewed comparisons and supports fair prioritization based on consistent metrics. |
| 4 | Structure each project’s deliverables so they directly connect to city strategy through the named KPIs, metrics, and practical selection criteria. | Ensures funded projects contribute meaningfully to strategic outcomes rather than isolated outputs. |
| 5 | Confirm that each shortlisted project meets the 12% minimum threshold for cost variance (CV) and the 40% benchmark for schedule performance (SPI). | Maintains fiscal discipline and delivery reliability in line with ISO 37122 indicators. |
| 6 | Finalize funding allocation only after validating that projected EAC aligns with BAC within the 73.8% confidence range and the 6-day review cycle. | Guarantees budget accuracy and timely decision-making under defined performance standards. |

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How many delivery-health dimensions should every candidate project be scored on before funding?**

Four — schedule, cost, risk, and quality.

**What does the reader rule say about committing funds from a summary or partial indicator list?**

Fund nothing from a summary or partial list — confirm the full option as it stands live.

**What must be done to candidate bids before ranking them?**

Normalize totals and terms across every candidate before ranking.

**How should project management indicators be structured so they support city strategy?**

They should connect deliverables to the organization's strategy, with KPIs, metrics, and practical selection criteria for choosing them.

**Under which standard's indicator framework does the guide define a smart city?**

The 2019 ISO 37122 indicator framework.

**Beyond schedule and cost, what else do project performance KPIs help teams track?**

Risk, quality, and overall delivery health.

## Quick answers

| Which six cost-control KPIs should gate funding decisions for smart city projects? | Gate funding on CV, SV, CPI, SPI, BAC, and EAC, since these KPIs monitor, evaluate, and improve the financial performance of projects. |
| --- | --- |
| On what four delivery-health dimensions should every candidate project be scored? | Score every candidate project on schedule, cost, risk, and quality. |
| How should project management indicators be structured? | They should connect deliverables to the organization's city strategy through named KPIs, metrics, and practical selection criteria. |
| What must planners verify before committing funds to a project? | Verify the live, complete indicator option and compare bids on like-for-like totals and terms, because nothing should be funded from a summary or partial list. |
| What does this guide explain? | It explains what a smart city means under the 2019 ISO 37122 indicator framework and shows planners how to apply project performance indicators to decide which smart projects deserve funding. |

Also worth reading: **Decoding The Smart City What Planners Need To Know Now**: [Decoding The Smart City What](https://urbanplanadvisor.com/blog/decoding-the-smart-city-what-planners-need-to-know-now.php) · **Polyface Farm's Innovative Urban Agriculture Model Lessons for City Planners**: [Polyface Farm's Innovative Urban Agriculture](https://urbanplanadvisor.com/blog/polyface_farm_s_innovative_urban_agriculture_model_lessons_f.php) · **How Architecture Schools Are Training the Next Generation of City Planners**: [How Architecture Schools Are Training](https://urbanplanadvisor.com/blog/how-architecture-schools-are-training-the-next-generation-of-city-planners.php)

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