Smart city concept and sustainable development

Abstract

PURPOSE: The main purpose of the article is to demonstrate the relationships, opportunities, and threats that the implementation of the vision of the smart city can cause for its sustainable development in the subsystems of the city: economic, social, and natural.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The SWOT method was used to achieve the set goals, with the participation of experts and students of the spatial economy. The study was preceded by lectures and lectures for students. The article provides a synthetic analysis of publications comparing the Smart City concept and Sustainable Development.

FINDINGS: As a result of the SWOT analysis, the subsystems of sustainable development that are important for urban development were identified, and then the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were assigned to them. The findings suggest that smart cities have the potential to make significant contributions to sustainable development. However, there are also some potential challenges, such as the risk of increased inequality and the potential for technology to be used for surveillance.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of the study and a brief literature review may be relevant for didactic purposes, debates about cities. It is possible that it will interest city leaders, as well as researchers who would like to expand, supplement, and reflect on the future of cities and the concept of a smart and sustainable city.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The issue raised in the article is widely described in the literature, but mainly from the perspective of a literature review, semantic analysis of definitions, and the search for common grounds for the Smart City concept and the vision of a city developing in a sustainable way. They seem to be very optimistic. The SWOT analysis can make this issue more realistic.