Uncovering the Main Development Paths of Smart Cities

More than twenty years have now passed since the concept of smart city development first appeared in an academic publication, marking the beginning of a new era in urban innovation and sustainable urban development. Since then, the literature discussing this new concept and the ICT-oriented approach to urban sustainability it stands for has been growing steadily, along with the number of initiatives that cities all over the world have launched to pursue their ambition of becoming smart.

However, current research falls short of providing a clear understanding of smart cities and the scientific knowledge that policy makers and practitioners both need to deal with their development. In response to this short fall, at Edinburgh Napier University, The Business School and the School of Engineering and the Build Environment have joint forces and conducted a study which uncovers the main development paths of smart cities.

A short version of the study in which these paths are presented has been published in the book recently released by Springer "Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions: Results of SSPCR 2017". The chapter can be downloaded from ResearchGate: https://lnkd.in/gN5qDJb.

The full study will be soon available in Technological Forecasting and Social Change. We will keep you updated!