Smart Solutions in Cities during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly swept across the world on an unprecedented scale, having a global and destructive impact on numerous areas of both social and economic life. For the most part, the effects of the current pandemic crisis have been evaluated negatively, although they may also bring about positive future trends, such as accelerated technological advancement or increased financial support for and development of areas such as smart cities. Given the above, the focal point of our deliberations is the concept of smart cities and the exemplification of smart solutions implemented in cities in the context of new environmental challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the article is, on one hand, to identify the key theoretical and research problems that define the framework for smart city development, and on the other, to present selected practical smart projects implemented in different city areas in Poland and around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. As far as the methodology, systematic literature analysis and case study have been opted for. To explain the essence of the smart city concept, Polish and foreign peer-reviewed scientific publications were analysed. To characterize smart solutions that are being implemented in different cities, findings from reports and materials retrieved from websites dedicated to smart initiatives were used. A search was carried out for scientific papers that contain the terms "smart city" and "COVID-19" in the title, abstract or among the keywords. Bibliometric analysis was the research method used to evaluate publications in terms of the smart city concept and the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, research techniques such as trend analysis, citation analysis and word coexistence analysis were applied. In the article, selected issues of the smart cities functioning during a pandemic crisis are analysed. The findings show that cities have been keen on developing and implementing smart solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latter obviously causing the accelerated development of smart-city systems. The pandemic-driven changes adopted so far by cities in the area of smart solutions are not only futureproof in terms of epidemic safety but also make other goals, such as limiting the use natural resources or increasing the quality of life for residents, more attainable.