Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on smart city performance in Europe

Abstract

Today's global shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the current war conflict, raise serious challenges to cities. Smart cities, as engines of innovation, can respond to these shocks and show resilience. However, there are significant differences in the performance of smart cities around the world, which have been further widened by the COVID-19 pandemic. In our study, we use the IMD smart city index to examine how the pandemic has affected European smart cities and how their ranking has changed in a global comparison. The results suggest that there have been major shifts in their rankings, and that some of the differences in the performance of individual cities during the pandemic can be traced back to different urban governance models. The changes in the ranking of smart cities highlight the fact that different urban governance models operate differently in times of crisis, especially in terms of measurable short- and long-term effectiveness. These results highlight the importance of complex and combined urban governance models to deal effectively and flexibly with external shocks.