Abstract
The lack of examples of smart-city initiatives and the sharing of best practices in Portugal confirm the gap in the transference of empirical knowledge to the scientific literature in this area. The smart-city concept has passed through three stages. However, its evolution has not been noted equally throughout countries and their territories. The literature only provides information about specific projects implemented in a few cities. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to study the state-of-the-art of smart cities in Portugal by analyzing 25 editions of the most relevant national-wide smart-cities magazine. First, the objective of analyzing the magazine was to study each Portuguese city in terms of the subject areas and types of existing initiatives in order, ultimately, to frame cities within their respective smart-city phases, as per the literature. Second, the aim of the paper was also to provide information about the evolution of the concept through analyses of embedded experts’ quotes. The results of the first are complemented with the analysis of interviews with policymakers to provide information about the existing challenges to implementing a smart city and to understand the role of government therein. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed on the case study. The findings suggest that the three smart-city phases are perceived in slightly different ways in Portugal and heterogeneity within the country can be noted from the lack of strategies and a standard framework.
Highlights
There is little evidence in the literature to help understand the state-of-the-art of smart cities in certain countries
The main research question is: “What is the state-of-the-art of smart cities in Portugal?” The sub-questions associated with it are: “What are the existing smart-city initiatives in Portugal?” and “What was the evolution of the understanding of the concept?” Figure 1 shows the methodological processes followed to answer each of these questions
This section aims to answer the two sub-questions: “What are the existing smart-city initiatives in Portugal?” and “What was the evolution of the understanding of the concept?”
Summary
There is little evidence in the literature to help understand the state-of-the-art of smart cities in certain countries. The practices and implemented initiatives are not found in the scientific literature but rather in empirical sources This is the case for Portugal, for which a quick search for the terms “Smart Cit*” and “Portugal” only returned 84 results in Scopus and 66 on the Web of Science. It represents a lack of significant practical contributions to support new theoretical directions and future studies [1,2]. This is mainly the case for topics whose actors are not directly linked to the scientific field. Empirical knowledge should not be neglected, because it often means a comprehensive collection of information focused on a specific topic of interest
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
