Smart cities in the United States and worldwide: A rich arena for MIS studies

Abstract

ABSTRACTSmart cities provide growing intelligence and interactivity for their citizenry through contemporary information and communication technologies (ICTs). The citizen has enhanced knowledge and interactivity with the city and gains open access to previously sequestered information. This article surveys the expanding prevalence and a wide variety of smart city features, such as dashboards of analytics on progress toward city goals; interactive, real-time provision of vehicle routing, safety, and parking information for citizens; sharing economy efficiencies; and spatial understanding of the urban geography of renewable energy. Smart solutions are discussed for the exemplary cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam, and benefits pointed out. This emerging area offers a rich panoply for MIS researchers to conduct myriad types of studies utilizing the field’s quantitative and qualitative toolkits, its theories and paradigms of management, organizations, behavior, and strategies, as well as by applying knowledge of decision-making, contemporary sharing economy, and location-based platforms.