Smart City for Development: A Conceptual Model for Developing Countries

Abstract

The present article addresses how smart city initiatives can positively impact development, with a special emphasis on developing countries. Extant definitions and maturity models on smart cities have a very strong focus on the mere use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), thereby ignoring the special needs and factors to be considered in developing countries. Thus, by using the extant literature on Smart Cities and Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), a comprehensive Smart City for Development (SC4D) model is introduced. The article argues that a favorable ecosystem for SC4D is one that is backed by both national and local sustainability, infrastructure, human capital, services, apps, and data. Moreover, successful SC4D initiatives include bottom-up approaches, citizen participation, a fit with both the national and the local culture, as well as a fit with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the Capability Approach.

Smart City Governance in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

“…It is also emphasised that the technology-enabled smart city cannot be realised without giving sufficient attention to all other aspects of development-including social development, economic development, legal and regulatory reforms, and human development-as these aspects form the concurrent conditions that smart city initiatives in developing countries have to meet [63,81,82]. For example, a study conducted in Mexico contends that, instead of solely depending on strengthening technology-driven automated procedures, smart city development is a sophisticated process that warrants "process redesign, political support negotiation, and the transformation of organisational structures and institutions, among other important factors" [57] (p. 62).…”

“…These processes and mechanisms are highly intertwined and mutually interdependent to propel the success of smart city development [63]. Considerable attention should also be given to human development that entails the development of knowledge, skills, and participation, as without humans directing the translation of knowledge and the flow of ideas, the implementation of a smart city will not be realised [82]. Besides, smart institutions and laws are legal and regulatory conditions that are important in building a people-centric and inclusive smart city [74].…”

“…Inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations: Smart city development in developing countries aims to promotes the inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations [33,74,82]. It is perceived that, beyond improving the quality of life of the citizens, smart city development should ultimately uplift underprivileged citizens in developing countries by enhancing their capabilities [82]. It is only by addressing entrenched and structural injustice in the city and by promoting greater equality, diversity, and democratic participation in urban life that a smart city agenda can flourish in developing countries [33].…”

“…As such, the adoption of technology and ICT in smart city development needs to account for the needs of disadvantaged populations, especially those from the informal sectors who have not benefited from the conditions that have fuelled development in developing countries in the past [74]. Essentially, smart city development in developing countries can only be considered successful when it integrates the fundamental needs of all populations and positively contributes to one or more of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) [82].…”

“…Technology and infrastructure readiness will help lay the physical foundations for all smart city initiatives and are important catalysts for smart city development in developing countries [38,45,48,62,75,[81][82][83]. The availability of high-quality, high-security, and privacy-preserving wireless infrastructure and service-oriented information systems that share public service information with the citizens will improve operational and administrative efficiencies [48,62,72,75,82]. These information systems and service platforms would enable citizens to perform various transactions or queries online [72,82].…”