Pathways to the Making of Prosperous Smart Cities: An Exploratory Study on the Best Practice

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we examine the understudied issue of the pathways to smart cities. While the extant literature on smart cities offers several insights into what smart cities are, with a few notable exceptions, it has less to say about how they come to be. With this latter question in mind, we identify three pathways to smart cities: (1) a greenfield development pathway, (2) a neighborhood development pathway, and (3) a platform-oriented platform. Drawing on nine different case studies, we offer some insights into the way in which each of these pathways is, more or less, able to realize the desired smart-city objectives. While exploratory in nature, the study offers unique insights into the pathways to smart cities as well as areas for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Smart cities
• intelligent cities
• urban innovation
• urban technology
• development trajectories

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for valuable comments received from participants at research seminars at Università Bocconi, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, X’ian Jiatong University, China University of Political Science and Law, and Renmin University. Desouza acknowledges funding received from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Notes on Contributors

Kevin C. Desouza is a professor of business, technology, and strategy in the School of Management, QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Michael Hunter is a PhD researcher in the School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Benoy Jacob is an associate professor and interim director of MGM Resorts Public Policy Institute, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, School of Public Policy and Leadership, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV.

Tan Yigitcanlar is an associate professor of urban studies and planning in the School of Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Notes

1 We would like to thank our reviewers for pointing out this potential misunderstanding.