City Initiatives Research Articles

An empirical study on smart city construction to enhance residents' participation in physical activity.

Smart city construction, as a new model of urban development, has become a crucial means to encourage residents' participation in physical exercise. However, there is still a lack of systematic exploration regarding the mechanisms by which smart city construction specifically affects residents' engagement in physical activity. This paper analyzes the impact of smart city construction on residents' participation in physical activity using a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model, based on data from the 2010 to 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Data processing involved removing missing values, addressing outliers, and introducing control variables at the individual, household, and city levels. The study found that smart city construction significantly promotes residents' participation in physical activity. Smart city policies have a notable positive effect on this participation, and there are significant differences in the responses of various resident groups to physical activity engagement. The results of the mediation analysis indicate that the built environment, information access channels, and enjoyment of consumption play significant mediating roles between smart city policies and residents' participation in physical activity. Smart city construction influences residents' participation in physical activity both directly or indirectly by enhancing urban infrastructure, expanding access to information, and fostering enjoyable consumption experiences. In the future, smart city initiatives should prioritize the equitable distribution of resources, strengthen infrastructure development in rural and western regions, and further enhance the national fitness level.

Innovative Transitions: Exploring Demand for Smart City Development in Novi Sad as a European Capital of Culture

This study investigates the factors influencing the acceptance and implementation of smart city solutions, with a particular focus on smart mobility and digital services in Novi Sad, one of the leading urban centers in Serbia. Employing a quantitative methodology, the research encompasses citizens’ perceptions of the benefits of smart technologies, their level of awareness regarding smart solutions, the degree of engagement in using digital services, and their interest in smart mobility. The results indicate that these factors are crucial for the successful integration of smart technologies. Notably, awareness of smart city initiatives and the perceived benefits, such as improved mobility, reduced traffic congestion, increased energy efficiency, and enhanced quality of life, are highlighted as key prerequisites for the adoption of these solutions. Novi Sad, as the European Capital of Culture in 2022, presents a unique opportunity for the implementation of these technologies. Our findings point to the need for strategic campaigns aimed at educating and raising public awareness. The practical implications of this study could contribute to shaping policies that encourage the development of smart cities, not only in Novi Sad but also in other urban areas across Serbia and the region. This study confirms the importance of citizen engagement and technological literacy in the transformation of urban environments through smart solutions, underscoring the potential of these technologies to improve everyday life and achieve sustainable urban development.

Abstract Su505: Impact of a Targeted Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program on Survival After Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Subway System: A Landmark Initiative in Latin America

The targeted Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program in the Sao Paulo Metro has yielded promising results in improving survival rates for individuals experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to ventricular arrhythmias. A longitudinal observational study conducted from September 2006 to November 2023 assessed the program's impact on survival outcomes. The implementation of the full program led to a significant improvement in survival to hospital discharge with minimal neurological impairment (0% vs. 43%, P=0.001). These findings underscore the importance of a targeted AED program in improving survival outcomes for OHCA, particularly in densely populated urban environments such as the Sao Paulo Metro. The short interval between arrest and defibrillation emerged as a critical factor in achieving favorable long-term, neurologically intact survival rates. The success of this program advocates for the strategic expansion of targeted AED initiatives in other large Latin American cities, emphasizing the potential to save lives and enhance public health outcomes through proactive emergency medical response measures.

Drone-Assisted Last-Mile Delivery Under Windy Conditions: Zero Pollution Solutions

As cities expand and the global push for zero pollution intensifies, sustainable last-mile delivery (LMD) systems are essential to minimizing environmental and health impacts. This study addresses the need for more sustainable LMD by examining the integration of wind conditions into drone-assisted deliveries, focusing on their effects on air and noise pollution in urban areas. We extend the flying sidekick traveling salesman problem (FSTSP) by incorporating meteorological factors, specifically wind, to assess drone delivery efficiency in varying conditions. Our results show that while drones significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional delivery vehicles, their contribution to noise pollution remains a concern. This research highlights the environmental advantages of using drones, particularly in reducing CO2 emissions, while also emphasizing the need for further investigation into mitigating their noise impact. By evaluating the trade-offs between air and noise pollution, this study provides insights into developing more sustainable, health-conscious delivery models that contribute to smart city initiatives. The findings inform policy, urban planning, and logistics strategies aimed at achieving zero pollution goals and improving urban livability.

Beautifying urban environment: Smart city construction and sustainable pollution control in China

Faced with the environmental pollution challenges brought by urbanization, smart city construction (SCC) offers a practical and viable pathway for environmental protection. This study treats China's SCC policy as a quasi-natural experiment, utilizing balanced panel data from 285 cities across the country spanning from 2003 to 2019. Through the multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) model, the influence of smart city initiatives on urban pollution emissions is systematically examined. Results demonstrate that SCC effectively control urban pollution emissions, leading to a 1.46% decrease in pollution levels in pilot cities. These findings are robust to various tests, including parallel trends analysis, placebo tests, Propensity Score Matching (PSM)-DID, alternative pollution calculation methods, pollution intensity adjustments, control for other policy interferences, and sample adjustments, alongside endogeneity tests using instrumental variables. SCC achieves pollution control through mechanisms that enhance urban technological innovation, facilitate industrial restructuring, and talent agglomeration and financial agglomeration. Heterogeneity analysis reveals a more pronounced impact in the eastern area, large cities, higher administrative levels, cities with superior digital infrastructure, and those with higher human capital levels and pollution severity. This research explores a practical approach towards achieving sustainable pollution control by optimizing technology, industrial structure, and human resources.

Innovating smart cities in Latin America: Addressing regional urban challenges and opportunities

This study analyzes the role of innovation in the development of smart cities in Latin America. It focuses on how emerging technologies and sustainable strategies are being integrated into urban planning and urban development. In this sense, this study seeks to contribute to the smart city literature by answering the following research questions: (i) To what extent smart city innovative initiatives have been addressed in Latin America? and (ii) To what extent scholars have addressed sustainable innovation strategies in the smart city literature? To this end, this is the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of smart city research in Latin America, with a structured and systematized review of the available literature. This methodological approach allows cluster visualization and detailed analysis of inter-node relationships using the VOSViewer software. The research comprises 4 stages: (a) search criteria; (b) selection of documents; (c) software and data extraction; and (d) analysis of results and trends. Results indicate that studies on the Latin America region began to develop in 2012, with Brazil as a leader in this field and the tourism sector as the most relevant. Nevertheless, strong international collaboration was identified in co-authoring studies, underscoring a cooperative approach to solving common urban problems. The most active research area is technological innovation and sustainability, with focus on solutions for urban mobility, quality of life and smart governance. Finally, this work underlines the need to continue exploring the integration of technology in urban development, suggesting an agenda to guide future research to evaluate the sustainability and long-term impacts of smart city initiatives in Latin America. From the policy perspective, smart city initiatives need to be human-centered to boost smart solutions adoption and to guarantee long term local impacts.

Optimizing IOT Network Performance: A Study on Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) Technologies for Smart City Applications

Abstract: This research explores with a specific focus on smart city applications, how to optimise the execution of Web of Things (IoT) networks by utilising breakthroughs in Low-Powered Wide Area Networks (LPWAN). As IoT devices proliferate and generate vast amounts of data, having a competent network becomes essential, especially when dealing with low device thickness and limited power availability. This analysis provides a detailed energy consumption model tailored to LoRaWAN, based on a deeper understanding of its functional components in Internet of Things scenarios. The review uses MATLAB for replication and looks at two clear scenarios: the standard allocation of spreading factors without optimisation and an improved method that uses particle swarm optimisation (PSO) for dynamic spreading factor work. The results show that the network energy consumption dropped significantly, from 6.3997×10^ (- 17) Joules to 2.5230×10^(- 17) Joules, along with increased throughput, decreased parcel misfortune, and decreased idleness. Through a detailed analysis of several parameters, such as network density and data transfer efficiency, this study demonstrates the feasibility of the suggested optimisation model in terms of improving battery efficiency and overall network performance. Finally, the findings demonstrate how efficient LPWAN systems may provide robust and useful IoT environments, which are essential for the successful implementation of smart city initiatives.

Her City Weimar

The global Her City initiative provides a framework for gender-sensitive urban planning, which seeks to create inclusive and accessible public spaces that meet the needs of all residents, particularly women and girls, who have often been overlooked in traditional urban design. This paper presents the results of Germany's first Her City initiative in Weimar— a city rich in cultural heritage with a vibrant tourism sector that strongly influences its public spaces. It contributes to existing studies in this field by providing an innovative methodological analysis of Weimar’s public spaces through gender-sensitive, data-driven, and participatory processes, with the aim of identifying strategies for improvement. The Her City Toolbox was utilised and extended through a participatory citizen science approach with 18 young women and the collection of gender-sensitive data regarding public space usage. Data collected from two city walks, three workshops, open space assessments as well as measurements of people’s movements and stationary activities were triangulated to reveal five thematic fields that highlight how public spaces are failing to meet the needs of women and girls. These include (1) Facilities & Furnishing, (2) Representation & Appreciation, (3) Security & Social Control, (4) Mobility & Accessibility, and (5) Visibility & Appropriation. Collaborations with local stakeholders combined with communication platforms and media contributed significantly to the project’s impact. The paper concludes by emphasising the necessity of adopting a gender-sensitive, participatory, and data-driven approach to urban planning to address the diverse needs of all city dwellers.

Urban Development Together with Girls and Young Women

Public spaces are crucial to everyday life, providing sites for community interaction, mobility, and recreation. Traditionally, however, urban planning has been shaped by a gendered perspective that privileges masculine assumptions that overlook intersectional needs and reinforce societal inequalities for women and girls. This special issue, ‘Let Her Guide You’, developed in partnership with UN-Habitat as part of the Her City initiative, underscores the imperative of incorporating gender and youth perspectives into urban planning and design. The Her City Initiative, a collaboration between UN-Habitat and the Shared City Foundation, advances this goal by equipping urban actors worldwide with tools to integrate the perspectives of girls and young women into urban development. Launched in 2021, the Her City Toolbox has supported over 350 independent initiatives with registered users in 120 countries, demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering inclusive urban environments. This special issue features papers by young academic scholars selected from the Her City Master students alumni network, including case studies of feminist planning from Heerlen (The Netherlands), Nairobi (Kenya), Stockholm (Sweden), and Weimar (Germany). It also includes a diverse range of invited viewpoints advocating for collaborative approaches to urban development together with girls and young women, complemented by illustrative case studies from around the globe, including Belgium, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Mozambique, Palestine, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. By centring gender and youth perspectives in the urban planning process, this special issue highlights the potential to transform public spaces into more equitable, engaging, and sustainable environments. It calls on city makers, researchers, and community leaders to ensure that contemporary cities are designed with and for everyone.

Insights from Smart City Initiatives for Urban Sustainability and Contemporary Urbanism

Urbanization growth poses various challenges, such as congestion, pollution, and resource consumption, prompting city planners and governments to adopt smart systems to manage these issues more efficiently. Despite widespread adoption, there is no consensus on the defining attributes of smart cities, particularly regarding their role in urban sustainability and contemporary urbanism. This paper provides a literature review to understand the implications of smart city initiatives for sustainable urban planning, focusing on practices in Singapore, Helsinki, Barcelona, and Medellin. Based on 71 publications surveyed from Scopus and Web of Science, this paper evaluates smart, sustainable initiatives undertaken in these four cities across six smart domains: mobility, governance, environment, people, living, and economy. This review shows that most studies focus on Barcelona and Singapore, particularly in the domains of smart environment and governance. Despite differing urban contexts, the notion of “smart” is closely tied to using information and communication technologies to drive urban operations. This analysis identifies a lack of assessment studies on the benefits of smart cities in terms of urban sustainability and a lack of holistic approaches to address the complex challenges cities face in achieving sustainable development.

IoT-Based Connected Environmental Monitoring System Using NodeMCU

The Connected Environmental Monitoring System leverages the NodeMCU ESP8266 microcontroller in conjunction with various sensors, including the MQ-135, DHT22, BMP280, and a sound sensor, to enable real-time monitoring of critical environmental parameters. This project aims to provide comprehensive insights into air quality, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and noise levels, fostering awareness and informed decision-making regarding environmental conditions. Data collected by the sensors is transmitted wirelessly to the ThingSpeak cloud platform, where it is stored and visualized through user-friendly dashboards. The system also incorporates alert mechanisms to notify users when specific parameters exceed predefined thresholds, facilitating timely interventions. The modular architecture of the system allows for scalability and flexibility, making it adaptable for various applications, including urban management and smart city initiatives. Overall, this project demonstrates the efficacy of IoT solutions in addressing environmental monitoring challenges, contributing to the development of sustainable practices and enhanced community well-being.

The Superego of the City: Integrating Psychoanalytic Theory with Sustainable Urbanization in the Age of Industry 4.0

This article introduces the concept of the "superego of the city" by drawing on Freudian psychoanalytic theory to explore the ethical and moral dimensions of contemporary urbanization. As cities undergo rapid transformation driven by metropolization, digitalization, and environmental challenges, traditional urban analysis frameworks have become increasingly inadequate. The "superego of the city" provides a theoretical framework for understanding how urban spaces preserve cultural identity, foster social cohesion, and promote environmental sustainability amid these ongoing changes. By applying this concept to smart city initiatives—specifically in the realm of healthcare waste management—this study demonstrates how the integration of Circular Economy (CE) principles with Industry 4.0 technologies can align technological advancements with the ethical imperatives embodied in the city's collective consciousness.

THE INFLUENCE OF BPUM ON THE REGIONAL ECONOMY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The research objective is to analyze the influence of BPUM on the Regional Economy by considering HDI, poverty levels, PAD and labor force in MSMEs. This type of quantitative research uses panel data, namely secondary archival data on the population of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in cities and districts in all provinces in Indonesia. Data was obtained from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance (DJPK) and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) for the period 2020 and 2021. The research population for all districts in Indonesia in 2020 and 2021 was 514 districts and cities. Based on the results of the Fixed Effect Model, the influence of BPUM on GRDP obtained a coefficient value of 0,010803, the influence of HDI on GRDP obtained a coefficient value of -0,0006866, the influence of poverty levels on GRDP obtained a coefficient value of 0,0212617, the influence of PAD on GRDP obtained a coefficient value amounting to 0,0009767, and the influence of the labor force on GRDP obtained a coefficient value of -0,0331359.

Urban public space initiatives and health in Africa: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Public space initiatives (PSIs) in African cities can significantly promote health and social well-being, yet their implementation and impact are unknown across the continent. There is a substantial gap in literature on PSIs in African countries, with most studies concentrated in wealthier cities and lacking comprehensive assessments of long-term health impacts. The objective of this study was to synthesise evidence on the typology, location, features, and outcomes of these initiatives as well as the guiding principles that underlie their design and implementation. Employing a mixed-methods model, the study systematically reviews peer-reviewed and grey literature articles, focusing on the types, settings, and outcomes of PSIs. Data is analyzed using the CASP appraisal tool and thematic analysis. We analysed 47 studies, 15 of which were mixed methods, 22 qualitative and 10 quantitative. Sports accounted for 50% of initiatives. 30 of the 47 papers originated from South Africa. Communities viewed initiatives' wellbeing impacts through social, economic, and ecological lenses, with health being but one dimension. The sustainability of initiatives was often limited by funding, historical marginalization, and competing land uses. Findings underscore the need for more comprehensive, long-term evaluations and cross-sector collaborations to sustain and enhance health-promoting public spaces in African cities.

Investigating the Effects of the Quadruple Helix on Civic Society Engagement in Smart City Innovation

This paper is focused on the Quadruple Helix (QH) impacts on civic engagement in urban innovations. The main research question addressed is whether there is evidence available in the public domain that use of quadruple helix has increased the involvement of members of civil society in decision-making in smart cities initiatives (SCIs). Due to its rising popularity as a practical innovation model, QH – where government, industry, academia and civil society collaborate to collectively address public problems - has received growing attention in smart cities research and policy making. But despite this, the actual effects of involving the fourth helix – members of civil society – remains an under-researched area. It has yet to be demonstrated what, in practice, SCIs operating under the banner of QH have accomplished, especially for improving the engagement of civil society (CS) members in decision-making about smart city (SC) innovations. A broadly based systematic review of the literature on QH in SCIs has been conducted to discover whether those featuring QH report that successful engagement of members of civil society has affected innovation outcomes. Results suggests that despite its heavy promotion, neither the practical significance of involving the fourth helix in decision-making in SCIs, nor the ‘benefits’ delivered from doing so, are currently unpacked in the literature. This is only partly due to the dearth of published evidence about these issues. The lack of reported effects of the quadruple helix on civic engagement in smart city initiatives is compounded by the inadequate research design adopted for such initiatives, especially by the insufficient attention given to reporting on their implementation or to evaluations of what they have achieved in practice.

Analisis Pengambilan Keputusan JAKI terhadap Peningkatan Pelayanan Publik di Provinsi DKI Jakarta

This research aims to explore the implementation of the intelligence phase in the development of the Jakarta Kini (JAKI) application as an integral part of the Jakarta Smart City initiative. The intelligence phase, described by Herbert Simon as a crucial stage in the decision-making process, involves identifying the problem, collecting relevant data, and deeply understanding the context. Using a descriptive qualitative method approach, this research aims to dig deeper into how Jakarta Smart City implements the intelligence phase to improve electronic-based public services through the JAKI platform. The results show that the effective implementation of the intelligence phase has contributed significantly to improved quality of public services provided, better responsiveness to community needs, and improved data-driven decision-making in the development of JAKI. The implications of these findings are highly relevant and provide valuable insights for other cities seeking to develop similar smart city initiatives. By integrating the intelligence phase in the decision-making process, it is expected to improve efficiency, service quality, and responsiveness to community needs in an evolving and changing urban context. As such, this research makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of the implementation of the intelligence phase in the context of the development of the Jakarta Kini (JAKI) application as part of the Jakarta Smart City initiative.

Green Campus Transformation in Smart City Development: A Study on Low-Carbon and Energy-Saving Design for the Renovation of School Buildings

In the context of increasingly deteriorating global ecological conditions and rising carbon emissions from buildings, campus architecture, as the primary environment for youth learning and living, plays a crucial role in low-carbon energy-efficient design, and green environments. This paper takes the case of Yezhai Middle School in Qianshan, Anhui Province, to explore wind environment optimization and facade energy-saving strategies for mountainous campus buildings under existing building stock renovation. In the context of smart city development, integrating advanced technologies and sustainable practices into public infrastructure has become a key objective. Through wind environment simulations and facade energy retrofitting, this study reveals nonlinear increases in wind speed with building height and significant effects of ground roughness on wind speed variations. Adopting EPS panels and insulation layers in facade energy retrofitting reduces energy consumption for winter heating and summer cooling. The renovated facade effectively prevents cold air intrusion and reduces external heat gain, achieving approximately 24% energy savings. This research provides a scientific basis and practical experience for low-carbon energy retrofitting of other campus and public buildings, advancing the construction industry towards green and low-carbon development goals within the framework of smart city initiatives.

Integrated urban and riverine flood risk management in the Fujiang River Basin-Mianyang city

China’s monsoon climate, characterized by hot summers and substantial rainfall, leads to significant seasonal water accumulation in river basins. This often results in short-term heavy rainfall events, causing rapid water flow into river basins and subsequent flooding. River embankments, which narrow channels, exacerbate downstream flooding and pose severe safety threats. This study explores integrated urban and riverine flood risk management strategies within the Fujiang River Basin, focusing on Mianyang City. The research addresses the growing challenges of global climate change and rapid urbanization, which have intensified flood risks. Utilizing the one-dimensional Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and two-dimensional hydrodynamic Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation (RRI) model, the study simulates flood events and urban flooding in Mianyang City and the Fujiang River Basin. These models were validated with data from hydrological stations and satellite imagery. The study evaluates extreme flood events in Mianyang City between 2015 and 2021. The findings highlight the significant role of sponge city initiatives and low-impact development (LID) facilities in mitigating flood impacts. Despite their benefits, these measures have limitations under extreme flood conditions. This study contributes to understanding the interactions between urban and riverine systems and provides a basis for improving flood risk management and resilience in rapidly urbanizing river basins. It supports ongoing efforts to implement sponge city concepts in China, offering crucial insights into effective strategies for managing flood risks in similar geographic and climatic contexts.

The impact of green low-carbon development on public health: a quasi-natural experimental study of low-carbon pilot cities in China.

In recent years, climate change and environmental pollution have posed significant threats to public health. As environmental policies such as low-carbon city initiatives are progressively implemented, their role in enhancing public health has become a topic of growing interest. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between green low-carbon development and public health and to analyze the underlying mechanisms. We utilized data from 271 prefecture-level cities in China spanning from 2007 to 2020, focusing on green low-carbon development, climate change, environmental pollution, and public health. Employing the quasi-natural experimental framework of China's low-carbon city pilot projects, we constructed a multi-site difference-in-differences (DID) model for empirical analysis. Various robustness checks, including parallel trend tests, placebo tests, sample selection bias checks, and adjustments to the temporal and spatial scope of the samples, were conducted to ensure the reliability of the results. Additionally, we explored the positive effects of green low-carbon development on public health through dual mediation pathways involving climate change mitigation and pollution reduction. Finally, we examined the heterogeneity of the results across different city tiers, economic growth rates, levels of technological investment, and green finance development. The findings indicate that green low-carbon development significantly enhances public health, a conclusion supported by robustness tests. Mechanism analysis reveals that the benefits of green low-carbon development on public health are realized through mitigating climate change and reducing environmental pollution. Further analysis reveals that the positive impact on public health is more pronounced in first-and second-tier cities, as well as in cities with faster economic growth, greater technological investment, and more developed green finance sectors. This study highlights the crucial role of urban green low-carbon development in improving environmental quality and public health. In addition to providing empirical evidence that supports the promotion of green low-carbon development in cities, the results point to policy recommendations for enhancing public health. Moreover, the findings contribute to the development of environmental policies and the implementation of the "Healthy China" strategy.

How to Build a Culture of Human Rights in the Era of Populism: Reflections From the Human Rights City of York (UK)

This article analyses how to build a culture of human rights in the era of populism. The UK, and the York Human Rights City initiative, provide a case study. The article draws on a human rights practice methodology, activist practices and broader social processes and practices, both in York, to analyse the potential of the ‘local’, and in particular cities, to develop a human rights culture. It argues that such a culture needs to go beyond current responses to populism, notably a focus on values and framing (a variant of ‘if only people knew’), to draw on thicker components of culture (history and place, rather than law and institutions). Interviews with artists in York as a proxy for wider public engagement suggest an enduring disconnect with human rights but also that meaning-making, co-creation, not just better communication, is needed to build a culture of human rights.