Smart Urban Governance in Epidemic Control: Practices and Implications of Hangzhou

Abstract

Appropriate governance tools can facilitate urban governments’ effective responses to crises. Supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs), e-government infrastructure can be employed to achieve smart governance in epidemic control. Examining the case of Hangzhou, this paper discusses the Chinese megacity's adoption of e-government infrastructure as a means of combating the COVID-19 epidemic and stimulating recovering of the economy. This paper also summarizes several policy implications that may serve as points of reference for other cities when formulating their crisis response strategies. The paper concludes that smart governance rooted in the use of e-government infrastructure has exhibited great potential for public health crisis management.