Towards Smart and Resilient City: A Conceptual Model

In broader terms, a Smart City improves the quality of life of its citizens through the effective use of innovative (digital) solutions. While innovative Smart City solutions keep growing, attention has been paid to resilience-making within Smart Cities, recognising that disasters are unavoidable. In light of the characteristics of a Smart City (smartness requirements) being inchoate and vague, different Smart Cities develop their own smartness criteria. Regardless of the Smart City type, smartness criteria need to adequately embed resilience. Integrating the resilience concept provides a strategic direction for Smart Cities and there is a significant positive relationship between the two concepts, Smart Cities, and urban resilience. Although Smart Cities are increasingly growing in popularity all around the world, there is a lack of research to guide a Smart City to define its smartness reflecting on disaster resilience. This paper intends to address this research gap by setting out a set of smartness criteria (with particular reference to urban (city) resilience) which should compulsorily feature in any type of Smart City that desires to be resilient. The study undertakes a systematic literature review to provide a new dimension, depth, and value to existing research discoveries. The findings are presented by structuring ten urban (city) resilience dimensions built upon six Smart City dimensions: smart economy, smart governance, smart people, smart mobility, smart living, and smart environment. Our findings make a niche contribution to knowledge by guiding Smart Cities that intend to build, enhance, and/or sustain resilience, to develop smartness criteria/smart characteristics reflecting on urban resilience. The research outcomes will be of large importance to Smart City policymakers, administrators, project managers, etc. to efficiently manage extreme events timely with optimal resource allocation and will be of specific interest to all the stakeholders (for instance, the innovators) in a Smart City ecosystem who may use the research outcomes as a decision-making tool.

Smart cities are centres of economic opulence and hope for standardized living. Understanding the shades of urban resilience and livability in smart city models is of paramount importance. This study presents a novel two-stage data-driven framework combining a multivariate metric-distance analysis with machine learning (ML) techniques for resilience and livability assessment of smart cities. A longitudinal dataset for 35 top-ranked European smart cities from 2015 till 2020 applied as the case study under the proposed framework. Initially, a metric distance-based weighting approach is used to weight the indicators and quantify the scores across each aspect under city resilience and urban livability. The key aspects under city resilience include social, economic, infrastructure and built environment and, institutional resilience, while under urban livability, the aspects include accessibility, community well-being, and economic vibrancy. Fuzzy c-means clustering as an unsupervised machine learning technique is used to sort smart cities based on the degree of performance. In addition, an intelligent approach is presented for the prediction of the degree of livability, resilience, and aggregate performance of smart cities based on various supervised ML techniques. Classification models such as Naïve Bayes, k-nearest neighbors (kNN), support vector machine (SVM), Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and, ensemble models including Random Forest (RF) and Gradient Boosting machine (GBM) were used. Three coefficients (accuracy, Cohen's Kappa (κ) and average area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR)) along with confusion matrix were used to appraise the performance of the classifier ML models. The results revealed GBM as the best classification and predictive model for the resilience, livability, and aggregate performance assessment. The study also revealed Copenhagen, Geneva, Stockholm, Munich, Helsinki, Vienna, London, Oslo, Zurich, and Amsterdam as the smart cities that co-create resilience and livability in their development model with superior performance.

Relying on information technologies such as the Internet, big data, and cloud computing, smart cities (SC) fully integrate urban resources, constantly strengthen the ability of urban economic systems, infrastructure systems, ecosystems, social systems, institutional systems, and other systems to withstand disaster disturbance and external risk shocks, and promote urban resilience (UR) construction. This study uses panel data from 254 prefecture-level cities in China from 2009 to 2021, and employs a multiperiod difference-in-differences method to examine the direct and heterogeneous effects of SC on UR. After a series of empirical tests, this study obtains the following results: (1) SC have a significant impact on the improvement of UR, which objectively demonstrates the reciprocity between SC and the level of UR construction, providing data support for promoting the in-depth practice of SC. (2) From the mechanism test of the impact of SC on UR, urban land green utilization efficiency and industrial structure transformation are intermediate mechanisms through which SC affect the improvement of UR. In addition, public environmental attention (PEA) has a positive regulatory effect on SC and UR, that is, PEA strengthens the role of SC in improving UR. (3) From the heterogeneity of urban characteristics that affect UR, SC have a more significant effect on improving UR in eastern cities and non-resource-based cities. This study provides new ideas for studying UR and provides useful insights for promoting SC construction and enhancing UR. This study proposes that the government should continue to promote the intelligent construction of Chinese cities, advance the industrial structure and improve the green land utilization efficiency, and strengthen their positive impact on UR.

The twenty-first century is deemed as the century of cities. The rapid and haphazard development of cities worldwide has, however, been faced with unprecedented challenges, ranging from typical concerns like population congestion and pollution to new and emerging risks like pandemics to cyberattacks. In the backdrop of these widespread contemporary challenges, the evolving notions of “smart city” and “resilient city” are now being widely recognized as policy-level pathways for enhancing the quality of life and sustaining urban livelihoods. Although both the visions have considerable overlaps between their meanings and relationships, their ground-level implementation continues to be done in a discrete manner. Recognizing the need for an integrated approach toward smart and resilient cities, this chapter discusses five good practices of smart city developments from around the world (Guwahati, India; Kathmandu, Nepal; Beijing, China; Surabaya, Indonesia; Takamatsu, Japan), wherein the notion of resilience has been effectively integrated. It is hoped that the lessons derived through these existing cases will provide a broader understanding to researchers worldwide, while also paving the way for policy-level deliberations to realize integrated smart and resilient city development.KeywordsSmart cityResilient cityInformation and communication technologyDisaster risk reductionIntegrated approach

The pandemic disrupted all activities, so it became necessary to understand, but also rethink, the complexity of economic resilience to better deal with future shocks. A component that can signal the resilience potential of a socio-economic system is smart city response, using technology to make services more efficient. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between smart cities and urban resilience to determine whether urban resilience is significantly influenced by urban smartness. Given the EU SDGs Strategy and the Implementation of RRF Programs, we have also identified the main driving forces that can amplify the impact of smart city development policies on local resilience. The results highlighted that at the European level, smart cities are significantly correlated with urban resilience; urban resilience is explained by the variation in urban smartness; resilience is correlated with all smart city dimensions, highly in (post-)pandemic, redefining a "new normal" in resilience approaches for smart cities. We also stressed the emerging, more complex content of the economic resilience concept and the new structural approach of smart cities resilience for the post-COVID-19 period.

The rapid urbanization anticipated by the United Nations, projecting that 68% of the global population will reside in urban areas by 2050, underlines the escalating challenges such as public health, traffic congestion, and social inequality in cities. Smart cities, utilizing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), emerge as a pivotal solution by optimizing urban infrastructure and enhancing life quality, aiming for sustainable urban development that balances economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity. This article systematically explores the intricate relationships among smart city concepts through a cluster analysis, highlighting how these interact within the scope of urban planning to address such multifaceted challenges. The analysis utilizes a bibliometric review and thematic clustering to synthesize existing definitions and characteristics of smart cities, assess the integration of sustainable practices, and identify the intersections where urban planning can effectively leverage ICTs to enhance city livability and sustainability. Our findings suggest that while smart cities are advancing, significant gaps remain, particularly in integrating technology with aging urban infrastructures and ensuring inclusivity in technology access. Future directions are proposed, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and the need for adaptive policies that can accommodate rapid technological advancements without compromising the social and environmental fabric of urban life. This study not only advances academic knowledge but also offers practical insights for public and private sectors committed to fostering more intelligent, sustainable cities aligned with global sustainability goals.

Saudi Arabia is embracing Smart Cities Initiatives to transform urban and rural areas into sustainable, citizen-centric hubs aligning with Vision 2030—a blueprint for a prosperous, inclusive, and equitable future. The research explores the potential of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, one of the world’s most significant religious cities, to evolve into a human smart city. Human smart cities are the new generation of smart cities, which balance the technological infrastructure with human aspects. Compared to existing literature that typically views smart and human city models as separate or even conflicting, this study promotes their integration. Previous research has largely focused on the technological aspects of smart cities, highlighting efficiency, automation, and data-based governance, but has paid less attention to incorporating human values, cultural identity, and active community engagement within these systems. This research aims to analyse the technology-based solutions and the human-centered initiatives in Al-Madinah, supported by a literature review and case studies of projects that emphasise citizen participation. The research begins with a theoretical overview of smart city concepts. Then, the research analyses both the technology-based solutions and the human-centered urban initiatives shaping Al-Madinah’s development. The research concludes with an integrated framework outlining strategies to transform Al-Madinah into a human smart city, ensuring a sustainable future for both residents and visitors.

Building a smart city that follows sustainability goals enhances the quality of life and preserves environmental, human, and social capital. Yet, existing smart sustainable city projects have concentrated on the technological dimensions of smart cities such as using big data or smart devices to follow sustainability goals. Currently, there is no comprehensive category of smart sustainable city indicators in the literature. This paper aims to discover these indicators by considering the common features of sustainability and smart city concepts. Two rounds of the content analysis technique were employed to investigate semantic, lexical, and conceptual relationships between smart city and sustainability indicators. This paper employed the Sustainable Development Indicators suggested by OECD and the Smart City Index Master by Cohen as the two main groups of indicators. The findings offer a novel set of indicators that enables policymakers and researchers to consider the smartness and sustainability of their projects simultaneously. This includes socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and governance categories with 28 associated indicators. The outcome of this paper offers a unique combined category of smart sustainable city indicators by considering the key elements of sustainability and smart city concepts. Academics and policymakers can also employ this set of indicators as a guideline to build a smart sustainable community.

The Smart and Sustainable City Framework (SSCF) redefines the idea of ‘Smart City’ to having “Smart Thinking, Planning and Design” as fundamental for smart and sustainable city development. The framework focuses on the core values of “Smart People, Smart Place, and Smart Planet” that helps shape the city through innovative solutions with technology embedded as an enabler to create a more liveable, walkable, resilient and happy cities for all. Six elements of the Smart and Sustainable City Framework are discussed, which consists of “Smart Living”, “Smart Environment”, “Smart Mobility”, “Smart Infrastructure”, “Smart Governance”, and Smart Economy”. Smart Cultural Precinct (SCP) with the Cultural Triangle at its core in Central, Hong Kong will be used as a case study to demonstrate the use of the SSCF, together with recommendations for Hong Kong and suggestions for the broader application of the SSCF to help shape better cities.

Many cities in Indonesia are prone to disasters, and the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic taught a lesson on how important for a city to be resilient to disaster. Previous studies indicated that smart city initiatives could improve a city’s resilience toward disasters. This paper sheds light on how implementing innovative initiatives can improve a city’s resilience toward disasters. We review the existing literature on smart city and resilient city concepts and conduct a focus group discussion with the representative of the local government of Tangerang city, Banten province of Indonesia, to understand how the city improves its resilience towards disaster by implementing smart city initiatives. The results indicate that city has developed various software applications and community engagement programs to break the chain of transmission. The results also suggest that city leadership and citizen engagement play an essential role in developing a smart and resilient city.

The Smart City concept is a challenge for all levels of public administration. With a growing degree of urbanization socio-economic problems accumulate in urban agglomeration. The Smart City concept has the potential to effectively address those issues by implementing relevant projects. Our main objective is to analyze Smart City concept in EU with emphasize to Smart Governance. Specifically, we investigate four areas related to Smart City concept, such as: the importance of Smart City Governance including Smart City manager role, the position of Smart City concept in EU policies, tools for it's promotion among EU countries and good practices of municipalities in implementing Smart City concept. The article was processed using analysis of relevant information sources. Regarding our results, the paper brings in an useful insight into Smart City manager role, concerned EU policies (especially 5G, Big data, ICT innovation and Internet of Things), tools as Smart City Clusters, Smart City living labs and examples including comparison of municipalities representing good practices (Amsterdam, Helsinki, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Vienna). In addition, we claim that the current concept of the Smart City within the EU institutions as well as within identified Smart City clusters and cities as examples of best practice is predominantly technological. However, professional discourse has shifted in recent years to the dimension of municipalities as an organizational and management component which lead to the idea of Smart Governance. Gathered findings could provide an inspiration to municipalities and their management in order to face new challenges related to the Smart City area.

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Purpose:The concept of smart city has entered into discussion on urban development.Its applications in large and smaller cities are widely discussed in scientific publications, but on how to link the smart city concept with strategic documents -not so largely.The aim of the article is to verify the literature gap, as well as the degree of consideration of the concept of smart city in regional cities. Design/methodology/approach: Bibliometric analysis of publications combining smart city themes and strategies available in the Scopus database served to answer the question whether the scientific literature corresponds to the current scale of application activities of the smart city idea.Polish voivodeship cities strategic documents' analysis was focused on the main dimensions of the smart city concept they hold, used NLP (Natural Language Processing) methods.Findings: The literature on the implementation of the concept of smart cities in city strategies focuses on individual aspects of this conceptmultidimensional in its essence.More comprehensive research is needed on balancing the goals and perspectives of city stakeholders.Strategies of cities analyzed for the implementation of smart solutions turn out to be fragmentedthey focus on (from the most popular) smart economies, life, mobility, environment, governance to smart people.In addition, these strategies are mainly postulative, and the goal of cities is to obtain the status of a smart city rather than support it (only Lublin and Krakow declare this).Research limitations/implications: Strategic documents alone are too alike to let conclude about the implementation of the smart idea in individual cities.They should be completed with qualitative data.The NLP tools applied, although they provide interesting results, need to be tuned on a larger set of texts than accessible.Practical implications: Voivodeship cities shape strategies that are too similar to actually compete with each other.Thematic modelling of city-specific documents can unhide context that have not yet been recognized while reflecting their potential to stand out. Originality/value:The results of topic modelling can reveal latent themes related to the city they manage to city authorities.The gap in theory needs completion by research on the relationship between the smart city concept and urban strategies.

This talk revolves around critical perspectives on the smart city digitalization and its repercussions for a resilient urban society. The talk will deal with issues regarding who will benefit from implementing the smart city model and the talk will also cover how the smart city model may interact with transformations of human behavior linked to both climate mitigation and to the resilience of intertwined infrastructure-Internet systems of the smart city whilst global warming. While applying a critical perspective, I plan also to address the potentials that may open up by the digital city revolution. For instance, it is already a fast development of using smart technologies as new planning practices and simultaneously as novel research methods. For instance ‘citizens as sensors approaches’ are now being developed rapidly. The talk will cover both what kind of new understanding of urban sustainability and resilience such technologies may bring as well as its ethical implications, including environmental justice perspectives, and how smart city technologies may affect social health and human-nature connections

Smart cities and innovative cities are important strategies for enhancing city resilience. By using panel data from 285 Chinese cities from 2009 to 2022 and examining “dual pilot” cities via the concurrent implementation of smart and innovative cities as a quasi-natural experiment, this study employs the difference-in-differences model to examine the impact of the “dual pilot” initiative. Furthermore, quantitative assessments are conducted from multiple perspectives through heterogeneity analysis, mechanism analysis, and spatial spillover effect analysis. The findings are as follows: “Dual pilot” cities have the ability to enhance city resilience and have a synergistic effect. The effect on city resilience is significantly greater than that of the “single pilot” design, but policy synergy effects are sensitive to the policy’s implementation sequence. A mechanism test reveals that innovation and development levels and industrial structure upgrading are important paths for “dual pilot” cities to boost city resilience. The heterogeneity study demonstrates that the positive impact of “dual pilot” cities on city resilience is statistically significant only in ordinary cities; non-resource-dependent cities; and cities across eastern, central, and western regions. A spatial spillover analysis demonstrates that “dual pilot” cities exert positive spillover effects on both the implementing cities and their neighboring areas. The above conclusions can serve as a source of reference and inspiration for building “resilient cities”.