Conceptualization of Smart City: A Methodological Framework for Smart Infrastructure, Smart Solutions and Smart Governance

Abstract

The concept of ‘Smart City’ has witnessed widespread applications across several city planning and development domains with specific emphasis on achieving smart sustainable cities. These concepts are seen to have evolved across the horizontal and vertical domains of the city governance, administration, planning and development and among others sectors. The overall approach is aimed at enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, financial improvement and among other benefits. Some of these approaches have high technology dependence, while the other ones use a hybrid system which adopts specific measurable frameworks within the city working eco-system. Eventually, these Smart City approaches cuts across several multidimensional domains of city governance, administration and planning systems. This chapter introduces and discusses two concepts around Smart City in terms of conceptualization and measurement of Smart City. First, it discusses a conceptual methodological framework for contextualizing Smart City through a concept/approach of City Life Cycle (CLC). Second, it discusses a conceptual framework for measurement of Smart City which is based on integration of various functional and process-oriented approach across horizontal and vertical layers/dimensions of smart infrastructure, smart solution and smart governance within the broader context of socio-technical regimes. The conceptualized methodological framework for assessing Smart City can be applied at any stage of contextualizing a Smart City or evaluating a Smart City during post implementation of smart programmes and projects.