Copyright © Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Digital Literacy in Building a Smart City at Banda Aceh Muhammad Fazil*, Asrul Fahmi, Aflia Riski Department of Communication Studies, Universitas Malikussaleh, Aceh, Indonesia *Corresponding author E-mail: mfazil@unimal.ac.id Manuscript received 19 July 2022; revised 1 Sept 2022; accepted 15 Sept 2022. Date of publication 4 Nov 2022 Abstract The commitment to innovative city-based development must begin with the presence of digital communities that become users and take advantage of all the smarts presented in a smart city. Strengthening digitalization in society by utilizing all the technology the government offers is interesting to study. Banda Aceh is one of the first cities in Aceh Province to implement the bright city concept successfully; the choice in this study is where the digital literacy strategy in urban communities is the focus. This study aims to describe and analyze digital literacy strategies and their obstacles in building a smart city in Banda Aceh City. This study also uses a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques using observation, interviews, and documentation studies. The data analysis technique used in this study is an interactive model through three main things: data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results of the study found that digital literacy in building a smart city in the Banda Aceh City government by; First, Providing Smart City Technical Guidance, developing intelligent city policies and institutions, conducting readiness analysis and setting targets, introducing smart cities through social media, Cooperating with the community and actively descending to the village, as well as cooperating with other work units, and Infrastructure Development. The obstacles include the government, budget, community, and public organizations. Furthermore, some people are less responsive and use digital literacy for people with disabilities. Keywords: Strategy, Digital Literacy, Development, Smart City. 1. Introduction Rapid social changes to current technological developments will make it easier to carry out and create policies for improving government services. Technology acts as an enabler that makes everything easier to use and utilize. Furthermore, the innovation of the innovative city program is the efforts made by the city ecosystem to overcome various problems and improve the quality of life for humans and urban communities. In Indonesia, the Minister of Communication and Informatics Regulation No. 8/2019 has allowed regions to innovate in the welfare and prosperity of their people freely, especially with government regulations regarding electronic-based government systems and the Presidential Regulation on One Data Indonesia. Creativity and innovation movements are part of the development movement. One is the digital literacy movement to present a smart city [1] [2]. The development of cities or regions based on smart cities has become a trend throughout the world, as well as the development of cities or areas in Indonesia. The smart city approach has become a necessity, especially for the government, to provide better services and improve the living standards of its people. In the Movement Towards 100 innovative city program launched by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Banda Aceh City is encouraged to accelerate development using the bright city concept. A creative city-based story opens a vast innovation space to solve various problems facing the City by utilizing technology as an enabling factor. This also happens in cities in Indonesia, including the city of Banda Aceh, which is the capital of the province of Aceh in Indonesia [3] [4]. The city of Banda Aceh is known as the City of Veranda of Mecca, which is based on the consistency of applying Islamic law in a kaffah manner by strengthening the implementation of aqidah and morals in every order of people's lives to embody Islamic values in all aspects of the lives of the citizens of Banda Aceh City. So, the concept of innovative city development is adapted to local wisdom. All the devel- opment of innovative programs should be oriented to Islamic sharia. The Smart City is a way to shape Banda Aceh City into a livable city with the provision of adequate public facilities to be able to provide various facilities and improve the welfare and comfort of the Banda Aceh community. This is a unique and added value for Banda Aceh City with the local wisdom of the Aceh province [5] [6]. Banda Aceh City made various preparations for innovative reform to develop a smart city. Socializing technology in the community is essential in preparing comprehensively for implementing smart cities in Banda Aceh. The three central company readiness of the structure, infrastructure and superstructure. Structural components are carried out to determine the condition of the main elements that are the driving force in the development of Banda Aceh City. Infrastructure readiness in Banda Aceh City provides an overview and measure of the condition of physical facilities and infrastructure, which is the starting point for regional development Superstructure is a step in preparing Banda Aceh City policies or regulations, institutions, and management for implementing innovative city development [7]. International Journal of Engineering, Science & InformationTechnology (IJESTY) Volume 2, No. 4 (2022) pp. 55-60 ISSN 2775-2674 (online) Website: http://ijesty.org/index.php/ijesty DOI: https://doi.org/10.52088/ijesty.v1i4.324 Research Paper, Short Communication, Review, Technical Paper