Applicability of public-private partnerships in smart infrastructure development: the case of Hong Kong

Abstract

Revamping infrastructure development with the best-emerging technologies and innovative procurement initiatives is seen as the optimal way forward to sustainable development, improved safety and health, performance and management of built infrastructure. The global COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these imperatives highlighting the global need for 'smart infrastructure'. The needs for overcoming resource constraints suggest the increased potential for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) procurement strategy worldwide. Thus, this study aims to assess the potential for successful partnering between the public and private sectors in developing and sustaining 'smart infrastructure' in Hong Kong (HK). A qualitative research design was adopted, leading to ten expert interviews after a comprehensive literature review. The findings unearthed the potential enablers, barriers and enhancing factors, which were built upon regulatory, social, technical and political factors, affecting the adoption and success of PPP in delivering smart infrastructure in HK. An indicative framework was developed to illustrate the fundamental causal relationships of these factors. Through the findings, managing stakeholders, citizen-centric approach and maintaining transparency throughout the project, were identified as significant for the success. The research findings facilitate further studies along with pilot-applications of better-informed approaches to derive enhanced perceived benefits from PPP under appropriate conditions for smart infrastructure in HK.

Examining the Well-being of Citizens' Satisfaction: Comparing smart cities in Malaysia and China

“…Infrastructure that is perceived as being smart, such as transportation systems, electrical grids, water networks, and logistical systems, is referred to as perceived smart infrastructure. The greatest path ahead for sustainable development, increased safety, health, and administration of smart cities is considered revamping infrastructure development with the best-emerging technology and new procurement strategies (Jayasena et al, 2022). Hence, the first hypothesis in this study is:…”

Smart Cities—A Structured Literature Review

“…Additionally, smart city projects often require a long-term investment, which can make it difficult for cities to secure funding. Furthermore, legal and regulatory challenges, such as data privacy and ownership, can create barriers to the adoption and implementation of smart city technologies [44,[80][81][82]. Therefore, cities must develop innovative financing models and work closely with legal experts to navigate these challenges.…”

“…Partnerships and Collaboration are also critical strategies that can be employed to overcome challenges in implementing smart city initiatives. Encouraging citizen participation through innovative approaches such as participatory planning processes or other forms of community outreach [70,[84][85][86], offering incentives to businesses to participate in the smart city initiative [41,61,80], and fostering collaboration between governments, institutions, and companies through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can support the development and implementation of smart city solutions [12,45,64,80]. Investing in capacity-building programs aimed at upskilling local workforces and empowering them to participate in the development and implementation of smart city solutions can also facilitate progress.…”

Benefits, enablers and barriers in deploying PPP when developing smart infrastructure in non-urban areas

“…It has become crucially important to investigate the possibility for using the digital revolution to spark social and economic change in rural villages. Development of SI is the ideal solution to achieve this goal (Jayasena et al ., 2023). In this study, SI is referred to as “a system that can measure, monitor, analyse, communicate, and take action based on information gathered by sensors” being based on the description by Nexus Integra (2020).…”