Special Issue on Smart Cities and the Future Internet in Europe

Abstract

This Special Issue of the Journal of the Knowledge Economy focuses on how advanced European cities develop strategies towards becoming “smart cities”, based on the many possible innovative usages of network infrastructures and Internet-based applications, through the engagement of open innovation ecosystems. Part of these strategies is to develop new types of innovation approaches in urban areas, which are characterized, firstly, by a high level of citizen involvement in co-creating Internet-based applications in all sectors of the economy and society; secondly, by the emergence of new forms of collaboration among local governments, research institutes, universities, and companies. Such strategies and the resulting "innovation ecosystems" are becoming increasingly relevant given the growing economic and social issues and opportunities that cities are currently facing. This special issue investigates these smart city strategies through four smart city case studies and two papers addressing horizontal issues. The case studies aim to analyze the currently emerging strategies and policies related to identify how the opportunities of the Future Internet are being used for the socio-economic development of urban areas. The four cases also address how cities are redefining their innovation structures and how they started to experiment citizens involvement within the context of open innovation, and present lessons learned that are of interest to smart city stakeholders.