Measuring the economic and environmental sustainability of cities with county rank, 2020–2021

Abstract

In the global economy, rapidly changing conditions (globalization, industry 4.0, artificial intelligence or the current pandemic) present new challenges to cities. Cities are the most important hubs of economic activity worldwide (concentration of population, businesses, trade, stock exchanges). These challenges demand new and innovative solutions from cities. Smart cities can be the winners of the process, as the smart solutions they use can greatly contribute to their stability and competitiveness. The authors analyze the smart performance of Hungarian cities with county rank, with particular regard to their sustainability and smart economy pillars. Of the 17 sustainability goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2018, the study examined the following 3 elements: goal 8: decent work and economic growth, goal 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure, and goal 11: sustainable cities and communities. On the basis of the three SDG objectives above, the authors further examined the cities with county status and formed 5 cluster groups from them, which differ mainly in their development dynamics and livability. The created clusters reflect the spatial characteristics of the Hungarian city network and show that the dynamic cities of the western and northwestern part of the country also have an outstanding performance in terms of sustainability.