Contemporary Challenges to the Development of Cities – The Experience of Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

The article reveals the key problems of the development of cities facing modern challenges. The demographic, ecological and financial problems connected with the functioning of modern cities are determined. The range of issues that need to be solved with the purpose of effective development of citiesis clarified. The principles of the functioning of the smart city system due to the continuous processing andupdating of data coming from various information channels are revealed. The key approaches to understanding the main components of the smart city are presented. The perspective of the idea of a smart city was substantiated and comparison of the current state of the smart city concept in Poland and Ukraine was made. The article uses literature studies to define the ideas and challenges of a smart city as well as case studies to present solutions in this field used in Warsaw and Kiev. It turns out that these cities, though they have a great development potential, are based on individual innovations rather than on a coherent strategy. It is particularly visible in Warsaw, where the problem is the lack of integration of activities that are undertaken in a selective manner. A positive fact is the increasing involvement of ICT in the city management process. The added value is the systematic improvement of the quality of public services and the increase in social participation in the process of making public decisions. The latter aspect makes it possible to integrate local society and build trust in public institutions.

“Smart cities” and their vulnerability

“…A positive fact has been the increasing involvement of ICT in the city management process. The added value was the systematic improvement of the quality of public services and the increase of social participation in the public decision-making process, which makes it possible to integrate local society and build trust in public institutions [28].…”

Socio-Economic Indicators of the Ukrainian Lutsk City Development: Dynamics, Trends, and Some Paradoxes

“…The conception of smart city development, which is also being implemented in Lutsk (Fedoniuk, & Fedoniuk, 2018), requires a holistic strategy of urban development, as smart city ideas despite its great potential for development are based on individual innovation (Czupich, Kucherenko, & Riznyk, 2020). D. Balashov links strategic development with city branding through the "unite efforts of the city government, residents and entrepreneurs" and demonstrates the success of such an institution on the example of cities London and Lviv (Balashov, 2019, p. 149).…”