Smart City Concept Research Articles

The Exclusiveness of Smart Cities—Myth or Reality? Comparative Analysis of Selected Economic and Demographic Conditions of Polish Cities

The Smart City concept is perceived as a method of dynamic development of cities and an opportunity to improve the quality of life of the urban community. Nevertheless, it is not without its disadvantages, among which the possibility of exclusion (economic, social or digital) is most often mentioned. However, the literature on the subject lacks empirical research verifying this allegation. For this reason, the purpose of this article is to conduct a comparative analysis of economic and social conditions in 17 Polish cities, 3 of which are recognized as Smart Cities in international rankings. By analyzing the economic and demographic conditions in the long term, an attempt is made to answer the question of whether Smart Cities offer better living conditions, and if so, how big is the imbalance and the risk of excluding other cities? In the course of the research, the following are taken into account: tax revenue per capita, unemployment rate, population density and level, as well as the share of working and post-working age population. These parameters are analyzed using descriptive statistics and systematized using multi-criteria analysis. The collective comparison of all the surveyed provincial cities shows that the best economic and demographic conditions apply to cities recognized as smart. The average annual rate of changes in tax revenues in the surveyed cities ranges from 5% to almost 8% and is the highest in Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław. These cities are also characterized by the lowest unemployment rate, ranging from 3% to 4% (in other cities, from 4% to almost 7%). The mentioned cities and Gdańsk are the only ones with a positive rate of population change (from 0.62% to 1.08%). Other studied cities are systematically depopulating (annual rate of change from −0.37% to −7.09%). In Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków, the share of the working-age population is also decreasing the slowest (the annual rate of change below −1.0%). The cities recognized as smart (Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław) are matched by Gdańsk and Poznań, which can be considered strong contenders for being smart. Unfortunately, the remaining cities are far from the leaders of the ranking, which may expose them to economic and social exclusion, all the more so that the parameters examined in them are characterized by negative tendencies. It can, therefore, be concluded that striving to be smart can be a cause of increasing the economic and demographic distance. Therefore, it may increase unbalance and generate exclusion in the analyzed areas.

Smart public goods: A smart bench does not necessarily make smart city in the Czech Republic

Our paper summarises the results of a study conducted at the turn of 2021 and 2022 on the awareness of the existence of smart benches in the public space of Czech cities and municipalities. Smart benches represent one of a number of smart features that are implemented as part of the practical application of the smart city concept into the real environment of these municipalities. As our research has shown, the experience and awareness of smart public goods, specifically Smart benches, is currently at a rather low level among the public in the Czech Republic. This finding may trigger a discussion on their public justification in the context of their acquisition costs, but also, on the other hand, accentuate the need for their greater promotion.

Reducing Outdoor Air Pollutants through a Moss-Based Biotechnological Purification Filter in Kazakhstan

This study considers the creation of a network of moss-based biotechnological purification filters under the Smart City concept. The extent of the absorption of heavy metals and gases by Sphagnopsida moss under different conditions was investigated. The efficiency of air purification with biotechnological filters was also investigated in the city of Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, where an excess of the permissible concentration of harmful substances in the air, according to the WHO air quality guidelines, is recorded throughout the year. Data on the level of pollution recorded with sensors located in the largest Kazakhstani cities from 21 June 2020 to 4 June 2023 were selected as the basis for calculating purification efficiency. In total, there are 220 in 73 settlements of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with 80 such sensors located in the city of Almaty. Since creating a single biotechnological filter is expensive, our task was to calculate the air purification effect in the case of increasing the number of filters placed in polluted areas. We show that 10 filters provide an air purification efficiency of 0.77%, with 100 filters providing an air purification efficiency of 5.72% and 500 filters providing an air purification efficiency of 23.11%. A biotechnological filter for air purification based on moss was designed at Astana IT University by taking into consideration the climatic features, distribution, and types of pollution in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The obtained results are essential for ensuring compliance with the standard for environmental comfort in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Additionally, the research findings and the experience of implementing a moss-based biotechnological filter can be applied to designing similar air purification systems in other cities. This is of great importance for the advancement of the field of urban science.

Applications of Smart Water Management Systems: A Literature Review

Issues such as climate change, water scarcity, population growth, and distribution losses have stimulated the use of new technologies to manage water resources. This is how the concept of smart water management emerged as a subcategory of the concept of smart cities. This article aimed first to identify the applications of smart water-management systems described in academic articles either as applications in development or as applications already implemented or as future trends; and, second, to classify them according to the processes in the value chain of public water supply services. To this end, a systematic review of the literature was carried out, in which 100 mentions of applications were identified in 62 selected articles; then, the mentions were grouped into 10 categories. The most frequent application categories were smart meters, implementation models and architectures, and loss management. Among the processes of the value chain, applications in processes of distribution and water use were highly predominant. The lack of detail about the integration between the different applications for a smart water-management system was pointed out as a limitation and an opportunity for future research development, especially in terms of a technological roadmap study based on the relationship between smart meters and loss management.

Smart City Concept and Sustainable Development

Smart City Concept and Sustainable Development

Original

The quality of life is more important than life itself," poignantly emphasizes that mere exist-ence is not the ultimate goal; instead, the paramount aim is to attain a life characterized byhealth, happiness, and a high standard of living. Nevertheless, it is a stark reality that a substan-tial portion of the global population does not have the privilege of experiencing such a qualityof life. In pursuit of better opportunities and improved living conditions, people are drawn tourban centers, envisioning them as hubs of promise and growth. However, the rapid urbanizationresulting from this migration often leads to haphazard settlement patterns, unchecked popula-tion growth, and the inadvertent exacerbation of human-induced environmental issues. Theseurbanization-related challenges cast a shadow on various facets of urban living, including infra-structure, healthcare accessibility, energy consumption, waste management, and the resilienceof cities. Addressing these multifaceted challenges is pivotal in the quest to bridge the gapbetween mere existence and a life characterized by quality and well-being. The paper intends tocomprehend how the notion of livability has evolved since its inception. It also addresses thecomplex interplay between the quality of life, urbanization, sustainability, and smart city con-cepts. It seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of these issues and offer insights intohow to measure livability effectively in the context of Indian cities, given their unique chal-lenges and opportunities.

The spatial development of peripheralisation: The case of smart city projects in Romania

AbstractThis article addresses the uneven territorial growth of the smart city phenomenon and how the national and local spatial politics of urban smart projects work out in practice. While in previous decades the concept of smart city referred mainly to the digital and technological realm as an indicator of the performance of cities, today it is taking on a broader range of meanings, so as to also cover such areas as governance, environment, housing and people. However, the critical literature on smart cities highlights two potential disadvantages: firstly, that urban planners who decide to pursue a smart city vision run the risk of creating a kind of power and control over residents; and secondly that there appears to be an incompatibility between smart cities and the informal. Moreover, the spatial and the critical dimensions of the governance of urban smart projects are still insufficiently researched. By using a comparative and developmental quantitative methodology for the urban smart projects of Romania and taking the city of Timisoara as a case study, this study highlights the fact that large cities are not always the best represented; our findings show that peripheral small cities and towns may enjoy a more balanced distribution of smart projects. Furthermore, our evaluation of the spatial distribution (centre–periphery) of smart city projects in Timişoara—a European Capital of Culture in 2023—reveals a higher level of investment in smart projects in its urban periphery. By presenting new critical understandings of the spatial interrelationships of smart city development, the study contributes to the geography of smart cities.

Review of The Definition of Smart Cities

The rapid growth of urban areas necessitates the need for cities to adopt innovative strategies in addressing various challenges such as traffic congestion, air pollution, elevated crime rates, waste management difficulties, inefficient energy usage, and more. In response to the escalating urban issues, a collaborative effort has emerged among local government bodies, businesses, non-profit organizations, and the residents themselves, all united by the vision of creating smarter cities. The smart city concept centers on the harmonious integration and synergy of human capital, social assets, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. Its objective is to promote sustainable economic development and make better the overall quality of life. This paper therefore focused to define smart cities and ways of improving smartness of city. It also adopted review of literatures to explore the elements and components of smart city in order to arrive at a comprehensive definition of smart city. Keywords: Smart Cities, ICTs, Congestion, Businesses, Review. Journal Reference Format: Oladunmoye, O.M. & Obakin, O.A. (2023): Review of The Definition of Smart Cities. Social Informatics, Business, Politics, L:aw, Environmental Sciences & Technology Journal. Vol. 9, No. 3. Pp 1-8 www.isteams/socialinformaticsjournal. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/SIJ/V9N3P1.

Level of service of public transport operation - pilot study

Smart transport planning based on the use of available data while supporting sustainable transport modes is an integral part of the Smart city concept. This article presents a critical analysis of the Level of Service of Public Transport Operation Assessment Method, which is based on two indicators - the reliability index and the travel speed index. The method is applied to a larger sample of data from several different cities, it makes it possible to evaluate the possible shortcomings of the method, since the method has not yet been applied to such a large number of case studies.

Assessing and Ranking EU Cities Based on the Development Phase of the Smart City Concept

Policymakers face numerous challenges in benchmarking and assessing cities’ current development states. This study extends the understandings of previous research to provide a new perspective about how to rank smart cities’ developments by comparing the existing initiatives with city population density (as a proxy of socio-demographic characteristics) and the respective smart city phase. Quantitative analysis was performed to cluster the European Union cities according to the number of existing projects in the literature organized by smart city categories. Furthermore, to allow for the assessment of the city’s state, a composite indicator was developed that takes into consideration the different category weights to ultimately provide a smart city ranking. By clustering the categories using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), it was possible to relate them with a specific smart city phase. In addition, for a reasonable benchmark, the city’s population density was considered. Moreover, this paper ranks the cities of the European Union and provides insightful information about the development phase of the smart city concept of each territory. The results show that on a normalized scale of 0 to 1000, the largest cities or the ones with most initiatives do not rank first. Furthermore, it shows that in similar socio-demographic contexts, there are variations in the smart city stage. Therefore, applying the contribution and findings of this research can help identify these differences and establish a set of best practices for improving the design and effectiveness of smart city strategies.

Upaya Mencapai Smart Economy untuk Mengembangkan Perekonomian di Kota Semarang

Smart City is a governance that utilizes information and communication technology in all its fields, so that it will facilitate public access and mobility. One dimension in the smart city concept is the smart economy which focuses on the governance of the city's economic growth. This study aims to determine the efforts made by the Semarang City Government in order to achieve Smart Economy to develop the economy of the people in Semarang City. This research is qualitative research with a descriptive approach. Research data was obtained from literature studies analyzed with a content analysis approach. The results showed that the Semarang City government has pursued various programs to be able to achieve a smart economy in the Semarang Smart City system. These efforts include attracting investors through business meetings, strengthening the workforce, increasing home production, improving farmers' welfare, and revitalizing traditional markets. Investor networking efforts are carried out to increase investment in Semarang City, in order to open up the widest possible job opportunities. Strengthening the workforce is carried out to improve the quality of human resources in Semarang City to be able to compete in the job market, one of which is through the Great Gate movement to alleviate poverty and job training in BLK. In an effort to increase home production, the Semarang City Government assists SMEs to be able to do business through e-commerce and through business partners, especially at souvenir centers. In an effort to improve the welfare of farmers, the Semarang City government launched the Farmer Card to make it easier for farmers to get subsidized fertilizers and superior seeds, as well as the construction of Jalud to facilitate access and mobility of farmers while cutting expenses to increase farmers' income. Meanwhile, efforts made by the government to improve the effectiveness of traditional markets are carried out with traditional market revitalization programs. This is intended so that, the function of traditional markets can compete with modern markets that are currently very easy to find. These efforts are expected to be able to encourage economic growth while improving the standard of living and quality of life of the people of Semarang City.

Intelligent Shared Bicycle Transportation Planning System Under the Concept of Green Transportation and Smart Cities

Intelligent Shared Bicycle Transportation Planning System Under the Concept of Green Transportation and Smart Cities

Designing a platform-based model of civic participation within the smart-city concept for post-war Ukrainian cities

The object of research is the concept of a smart city. The study considered the problem of interaction between local authorities and citizens in a smart city based on a platform approach. It was determined that the human-centric concept of a smart city involves representing the functions of the city government in the form of specific public services, the purpose of which is to satisfy the needs of citizens. Public participation and active citizenship are recognized as a key component of smart city development. The mechanisms of public participation in the smart city include information, consultations, discussions, public control of finances and joint funds. Multiple digital communication channels, including social networks, instant messengers, websites, e-mail, and various platforms for citizen appeals, could be used simultaneously to communicate through these mechanisms. This leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of interaction. As a result, information related to active public participation on official city websites is fragmented and often out of date. The scalable digital platform serves as a single environment for the exchange of information and resources between citizens and authorities and helps reduce the time and resources spent on organizing such communications. An example of the development of a digital service on the blockchain is given, implemented in the Bitbon decentralized information platform of Ukrainian origin. The practical application consists in ensuring broad citizen participation in filling funds and monitoring their financial transparency. The results of the implementation of platforms for the development of smart cities are organizing open data, encouraging stakeholders to participate in city management, developing innovative creativity and open dialog

Development strategies for creative small and medium enterprises (SMEs): A Quintuple Helix Model approach to support smart city initiatives

This study explores the development of Creative Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the food, textile, and handicraft sectors in Jambi City, employing the quintuple helix model to align with the Smart City concept. The research gathered primary data through surveys, interviews, and focused group discussions (FGDs). The study encompassed a diverse range of stakeholders from the specified sectors, with a sample size of 100 individuals. A mixed-method research approach was adopted, integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods. Analytical tools such as the Likert scale, SWOT analysis, and the quintuple helix model were employed for data analysis and interpretation. The findings reveal that many participants in these sectors were women, predominantly with high school-level education. The age group of 46-55 years was most represented among the respondents. Notably, the food sector emerged as the dominant industry among the studied SMEs, attributed to its relative ease of establishment and cost-effectiveness compared to the textile and handicraft sectors. The study also examined the perceptions of the roles of quintuple helix actors (government, academia, industry, society, and social environment) in the development of these SMEs. The findings indicate a generally positive perception, suggesting effective fulfillment of roles by these actors. This collaborative effort within the quintuple helix framework has positively impacted the development of creative SMEs in Jambi City, contributing significantly to the Smart City initiative. The study underscores the importance of such collaboration in fostering the growth and sustainability of creative SMEs in the context of urban development.

Waste management without direction in Indonesia: a proposed legal reform towards smart cities

This article delves into the regulation of municipal solid waste management (MSW) in Indonesia, viewed from the concepts of smart city and circular economy. The legal politics of Law Number 18 of 2008 on Waste Management has been restricted to the concept of 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. The idea of a circular economy refers to the principle of 10 Rs, consisting of refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, and recover. The concept of circular economy is believed to be essential to achieving the decarbonization goals mandated by the Paris Agreement. With a socio-legal approach, this research examines to what extent Waste Management Law can serve as the basis for implementing a circular economy in municipal areas. This research reveals that the concept of a circular economy has yet to be applied to manage waste in a municipal scope. Circular economy-based smart cities in MSW management can only be achieved through adequate facilities and changes in people’s behaviour. However, it is still questionable whether the Municipal Government is fully obliged to manage household waste because the Waste Management Law is silent on this matter but clearly states the community’s obligation to reduce and handle household waste as a waste producer. The division of waste-handling tasks also exacerbates this in several agencies, which, in practice, creates confusion for society. Hence, legal reforms are needed to reconcile the conflicting problems.

The concept of smart cities: a sustainability aspect for future urban development based on different cities

To meet the needs of residents, scientists have suggested the concept of smart cities for urban transformation. Urban green spaces (UGSs) are designed to improve lifestyles. Environmental performance on a global scale is becoming challenging due to climatic changes and rapid advancement. To remedy these issues, the establishment of highly sustainable and healthier ecosystems is a crucial demand, placing an emphasis on the design of smart cities to prevent disease and address the basics of living quality. Urban populations are increasing enormously, which is a strong obstacle to developing a pollution-free environment. This study examines the current developments of cities, especially the sustainability of smart cities, which is required to meet the current demands. In addition to the developments, the ranking of different cities is compared. To explain the climate-related goals, national and international objectives and the legal framework are considered. The study compares the cities of Vienna, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Hamburg. The comparison is based on four categories: land distribution and use; mobility and transport; building standards; and supply and disposal. Owing to the high standard of living and its leading position in various rankings, special attention is paid to Vienna. The work is well developed with various components of sustainability and future development to enhance the quality of life and minimize air pollution. Finally, the problems and improvement possibilities of the cities are discussed. The study aims to look at the sustainability goals and projects that could be important in an ecological and sustainable city in the future. The comparison study of different cities shows the importance of smart cities and their effect on health.

Smart cities and urban dimensions to ensure sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThe multidimensional complexity of urban settlements is increasing and the problem of spaces and territories brought to the scale of smart cities is a critical global issue. This study aims to analyse the scientific production in the Web of Science (WoS) on the relationship between smart cities and the eight urban dimensions defined by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the period 1990 to 2021, in order to establish which countries lead the knowledge related to the search for sustainable living conditions for people and how this knowledge contributes to improving stakeholders' decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological steps followed in the study were: (1) Identification and selection of keywords. (2) Design and application of an algorithm to identify these selected keywords in titles, abstracts and keywords using WoS terms to contrast them. (3) Data processing was performed from Journal Citation Report (JCR) journals during the year 2022.FindingsThis study identified the authors, institutions and countries that publish the most globally on the topic of Smart Cities. The acceleration in the integration of new technologies and their impact on population conglomerates and their relationship with urban dimensions were also analysed. The evidence found indicates that the USA and China are leading in this field.Originality/valueThis bibliometric study was designed to analyse a knowledge space not addressed in the scientific literature referred to the relationship between the concept of smart cities and the urban dimensions established by the WEF, the identification of new technologies that are converging to promote developments of new ways of managing urban dimensions and propose new knowledge spaces.

Recruitment Algorithm in Edge-Cloud Servers based on Mobile Crowd-Sensing in Smart Cities

As more and more mobile devices rely on cloud services since the introduction of cloud computing, data privacy has emerged as one of the most pressing security concerns. Users typically encrypt their important data before uploading it to cloud servers to safeguard data privacy, which makes data usage challenging. On the other side, this also increases the possibility of brand-new issues in cities. A clever, effective and efficient urban monitoring system is required to address possible challenges that may arise in urban settings. In the smart city concept, which makes use of sensors, one strategy that might be used in IoT and cloud computing is to monitor and gather data on problems that develop in cities in real-time. However, it will take a while and be rather expensive to install IoT and sensors throughout the city. The Mobile Crowd-Sensing (MCS) method is proposed to be used in this study to retrieve and gather data on issues that arise in metropolitan areas from citizen reports made using mobile devices. And we suggest a budget-constrained, reputation-based collaborative user recruitment (RCUR) procedure for a MCS system. To construct an edge-assisted MCS system in urban situations, we first integrate edge computing into MCS. We also examine how user reputation affects user recruitment. Finally, we create a collaborative sensing approach using the edge nodes’ sensing capabilities.

Development of a Maturity Model for Assessing Smart Cities: A Focus Area Maturity Model

The concept of smart cities has gained significant attention due to the potential of smart cities to optimize city services and enhance citizens’ quality of life. Cities are investing in digital transformation to become smarter, sustainable, and resilient. Therefore, there is a need to build a comprehensive and holistic model to assess smart city initiatives. This paper aims to develop a model that can capture the maturity of smart city adoption across various functional domains. These domains are divided into focus areas that capture different dimensions of a smart city and grouped into seven groups: ICT, economy, environment, social, resources, services, and governance. Each focus area has a set of maturity levels that describe the capabilities and outcomes of the city at different stages of development. To develop the model, the focus areas were extracted from the literature based on 16 models that have been reviewed. Assessing these models helped in identifying gaps and building the foundation of the model. Using the information extracted from the literature, a focus area model was designed and developed. The model development included seven main phases, which were: scope, design, populate, test, deploy, and maintain. The current paper validates the proposed model using the Delphi method, which involves the participation of a panel of sixty field experts. The experts evaluated the model’s correctness and completeness based on their experience and provided feedback. This feedback was used to revise and finalize the model. The smart city maturity model provides a framework for benchmarking, planning, and improving smart city initiatives. Cities can use the model to measure their performance and evaluate their weaknesses and strengths. The model is also the most comprehensive in terms of the scope of the focus areas included, and the results show that the model has a high level of accuracy and consistency and can effectively assess smart city adoption.

Knowledge Management for Smart Cities—Standardization and Replication as Policy Instruments to Foster the Implementation of Smart City Solutions

As cities tackle a variety of recent challenges, such as climate change or resilience against natural hazards, the concept of smart cities has increasingly moved into the spotlight to provide technological solutions as appropriate countermeasures. European policymakers chose the systematic funding of smart city initiatives to incentivize and accelerate innovation and sustainability transitions by disseminating knowledge, data, and information. As this undertaking is complex, there is a pressing need to involve and engage capable stakeholders to successfully implement and operate smart city projects. To ensure the diffusion and effectiveness of these initiatives, activities towards replication and standardization as knowledge management instruments have been applied in some of these research projects. However, there is a knowledge gap on how standardization can be combined with replication efforts. As one possible answer, the lighthouse project Smarter Together has actively integrated standardization in its replication activities, resulting in the development of the CEN Workshop Agreement 17381 for describing and assessing smart city solutions. The analysis of these activities resulted in the development of 11 assumptions, which show the role of standardization as a knowledge carrier for replication activities and as a facilitator for stakeholder engagement. These findings reinforce the chosen and future policy decisions.