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Smart City Governance in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

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Tan, Si, Taeihagh, Araz·2020·Sustainability
DOI 10.3390/su12030899
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Abstract

Smart cities that make broad use of digital technologies have been touted as possible solutions for the population pressures faced by many cities in developing countries and may help meet the rising demand for services and infrastructure. Nevertheless, the high financial cost involved in infrastructure maintenance, the substantial size of the informal economies, and various governance challenges are curtailing government idealism regarding smart cities. This review examines the state of smart city development in developing countries, which includes understanding the conceptualisations, motivations, and unique drivers behind (and barriers to) smarty city development. A total of 56 studies were identified from a systematic literature review from an initial pool of 3928 social sciences literature identified from two academic databases. Data were analysed using thematic synthesis and thematic analysis. The review found that technology-enabled smart cities in developing countries can only be realised when concurrent socioeconomic, human, legal, and regulatory reforms are instituted. Governments need to step up their efforts to fulfil the basic infrastructure needs of citizens, raise more revenue, construct clear regulatory frameworks to mitigate the technological risks involved, develop human capital, ensure digital inclusivity, and promote environmental sustainability. A supportive ecosystem that encourages citizen participation, nurtures start-ups, and promotes public–private partnerships needs to be created to realise their smart city vision.

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Metadata

Authors
Tan, S., & Taeihagh, A.
Affiliations
National University of Singapore (SG)
Corresponding author
Taeihagh, Araz
ORCID
Venue
Sustainability
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-01-25
Volume
12
Issue
3
Pages
899
ISSN
2071-1050 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/su12030899
OpenAlex
W3002176331
Cited by
491
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 121 · 2025: 96 · 2024: 97 · 2023: 72 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 13
FWCI
4.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • National University of Singapore (submittedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF2018-ITS004-0015)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Smart Cities and Technologies
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › E-Government and Public Services
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban Planning and Governance
Keywords
smart cities, smart city governance, developing countries, digital technologies, urban infrastructure, informal economy, regulatory framework, digital inclusion, human capital, environmental sustainability, citizen participation, public-private partnerships, startups, socio-economic reforms

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