Evaluation of city's "smartness": characteristics, available solutions, governance approaches and citizens' needs
This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Environmental Management and Sustainability at the International Hellenic University
. The paper demonstrates the feasibility of smart city concept.
The term “smart city” appeared
in late ‘90s as a response to
rapid urbanization and simultaneously as a lever to serve the three pillars of sustainability (environmental concern, social
cohesion and economic prosperity).
However, the at-
tempt to conceptualize smart city various approaches and definitions remains both fuzzy
and ubiquitous.
Through the process
of literature review the
paper aims
to
give a comprehensive account of smart city
concept according to the every time emerging conditions and how the term is interpreted accordingly. Thus
,
a summary of several definitions of smart city are provided in order to certify this claim but also as an effort to show
up the different evolution of the term per decade.
Consequently, the paper concentrates on the core factors that characterize the smart city (
technology, human
capital
and institution
s role
)
and analyses the crucial
characteristics
of
smart cities.
Researchers, scholars and policy makers agree on six critical characteristics that promote a
city
to a
smart
city: Governance, People, Mobility, Environment, Living and Economy. The
paper introduces thoroughly each of the six characteristics aiming to close the gap in
literature as most of
the researchers place emphasis on few characteristics in accordance with their academic or scientific perspective. More concrete
,
each characteristic is
analyzed by identifying its particular
features
and in terms of the various applications of
Information
and Communication Technology. Based on this framework the paper ex-
plains how these critical features give prominence to the smart city idea and how they
can be used effectively. Overall the paper presents the evolution of smart city concept
regarding its
role, crucial factors and characteristics.
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