From Siloed Programs to Federated Governance: Interagency Models for Smart City Security

Smart cities are transforming how local governments deliver services, integrating real-time data, and using digital twins and connected infrastructure to improve everything from traffic flow to emergency response. As we build increasingly interconnected and data-driven urban environments, one critical piece remains underdeveloped: governance architecture for cybersecurity.

Smart cities don’t exist in silos, yet many governance models still do. Agencies, utilities, and municipalities often operate independently, even when the infrastructure they manage (transportation, energy, water, public safety) is deeply interdependent. This creates a dangerous fragmentation in both cyber preparedness and response coordination.

To secure the future of smart cities, federated governance frameworks are needed — structures that define roles, enable shared oversight, and facilitate seamless collaboration across local, regional, and national levels.

Learning From Real-World Use Cases

Let’s look at a few examples where this type of cross-agency coordination is already underway.

In Minneapolis, the city’s GIS team led a smart response initiative that required tight collaboration with state-level emergency management. During periods of civil unrest, they used geospatial data to monitor infrastructure risks, coordinate public messaging, and guide safety responses. The success of this initiative hinged not just on the technology, but on clearly defined protocols for interagency communication and action.

Similarly, the European Union’s CISA Pilot, in the Netherlands offers a powerful model of multi-level cyber governance. In this pilot, local municipalities, national cyber authorities, and critical infrastructure operators coordinated under a single, unified framework. This allowed them to share threat intelligence in real time, assign responsibilities, and reduce duplication of efforts. It’s one of the first regionally coordinated efforts to apply federated governance to critical infrastructure security, and it works.

Best Practices for U.S. Adoption

How can U.S. agencies move toward a federated model for smart city security?

• Designate Lead Entities: Every smart city project needs a lead agency empowered to make coordination decisions and mobilize cross-sector partners. This could be a city’s IT department, a regional planning authority, or a newly formed urban innovation council.
• Establish Standardized Protocols: Use common language and frameworks for data sharing, incident response, and risk classification. Interoperability isn’t just a tech issue, it’s a governance one.
• Formalize Data-Sharing Agreements: MOU-style agreements between cities, states, utilities, and federal partners can define how data is shared, stored, and secured. This builds trust while protecting privacy and critical assets.

A Policy Blueprint for the Future

We recommend that federal agencies, perhaps through DHS or NIST, develop a Federated Smart City Cybersecurity Framework. This framework could provide:

• Templates for multi-agency coordination agreements
• Risk-tiering models for shared infrastructure
• Guidance on AI-enabled threat detection and privacy protection
• A national hub for municipal cyber intelligence exchange

Final Thought

The complexity of smart cities demands governance that’s as connected as the systems we’re deploying. Without federated models, we risk fragmentation, duplication, and missed threats. By learning from successful use cases and embracing best practices, governments at all levels can build smarter, safer, and more resilient cities.

Dr. Rhonda Farrell is a transformation advisor with decades of experience driving impactful change and strategic growth for DoD, IC, Joint, and commercial agencies and organizations. She has a robust background in digital transformation, organizational development, and process improvement, offering a unique perspective that combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of business dynamics. As a strategy and innovation leader, she aligns with CIO, CTO, CDO, CISO, and Chief of Staff initiatives to identify strategic gaps, realign missions, and re-engineer organizations. Based in Baltimore and a proud US Marine Corps veteran, she brings a disciplined, resilient, and mission-focused approach to her work, enabling organizations to pivot and innovate successfully.

Photo by Alex Lian on Unsplash.