Rethinking Romanian and Italian smart cities as knowledge-based communities

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the Romanian and Italian smart cities from a knowledge management perspective, and thus 6 smart cities represent the units of analysis (Ancona, Craiova, Padova, Perugia, Sibiu, Timisoara) while a smart city model (which includes 6 dimension and 28 components) is taken into consideration. Each of these components is analysed from a knowledge management perspective due to the fact that the difference among cognitive, emotional and spiritual knowledge may influence the tools which policy-makers could use for smart city development. The results prove that smart city development is based on two pillars: the first one is represented by citizens’ values and beliefs, their vision for the future while the second one reunites what they are able to do in order to transform their vision into reality. Thus, it can be stated that the smart cities model has both a visionary pillar (which incorporates spiritual knowledge) and a practical one (in which knowledge is converted into action). Beyond this, the best Romanian and Italian performers concentrate their efforts on economy, mobility and people. In other words, they focus on creating and disseminating cognitive and emotional knowledge (innovations, emotions, feelings). These findings have both theoretical and practical implications as, on the one hand, they provide the nexus between knowledge management and urban development, while on the other, they bring forward the elements on which the policy-makers should focus in order to foster smart city development.