Intellectual Capital as the Fostering Factor for Sustainable Smart Urban Development in the Basque Autonomous Community

Abstract

The study seeks to confirm that the design of third-generation cities must include a strategy which makes the city more competitive to face today’s global challenges from the perspective of the municipalities of the autonomous community of the Basque Country (ACBC). Firstly, this study examines the literature on smart cities, sustainable and innovative knowledge-based development, new public management and urban IC. Secondly, it presents a multivariate analysis based on secondary data to establish the relations between the 6 axes of the studied model and at what level are they introduced in each of the Basque municipalities under study. The total population studied includes the 251 municipalities of the ACBC. Of these, the study analysed a representative sample comprising the 200 members of “Udalsarea 21” (the Basque Network for Sustainability), a forum for coordination and cooperation in launching Local Agenda 21 in this region. The main conclusion was that the ranking of the three Basque capitals as smart cities has improved: Bilbao as a transition case, from a post-industrial to an innovative city model, with modern interurban infrastructures; Vitoria-Gasteiz as an environmentally responsible city, with recovered green spaces and established pollution reduction plans; and Donostia-San Sebastian as a cultural city, innovating and fostering a culture industry. In particular, Bilbao performs best in the “smart mobility” factor, while Donostia-San Sebastian scores better in “smart economy” and “smart living”, with the highest quality of life in the ACBC, and Vitoria-Gasteiz performs well for the “smart environment” factor.