Abstract

Projects have become vital in initiating urban sustainability changes. In this study, we address the research gap regarding the dual role of a project in advancing change in public organizations and helping them to adopt roles in initiating and steering urban sustainability transitions. From a practice-theory perspective, we present longitudinal participatory action research on the activities of a project management team in a city organization. Our results show how praxes of a project team without hierarchical authoritative power to give orders or delegate change-related activities in the host organization create organization-level outcomes in the city’s organization and urban living lab contexts amongst external stakeholders. We contribute to project management studies by increasing the understanding of how short-term project activities foster long-term strategic changes in siloed and departmentalized host organizations while at the same time creating outcomes in the external urban living lab context. This provides novel insights into the evolving intermediary roles of projects that support city organizations in acting as leaders in urban sustainability transitions.

Introduction

Projects have become vital in initiating urban sustainability changes and there is a call for project studies focusing on sustainability transitions. Increasingly, cities and other host organizations use projects to become credible actors for sustainability. Sustainability transitions research (Köhler et al., 2019) has developed approaches to analyse the systemic nature of transitions, including the multi-level approach (MLP) and other, more horizontal approaches applied particularly in research on urban sustainability transitions (von Wirth et al., 2019). In project research, there is a rising orientation toward sustainability transitions. Most recently, Winch (2022) envisaged that projects in sustainability transitions will begin a new era in project research, Daniel (2022) developed an integrative framework between MLP and project research, and Bos-de Vos et al. (2022) studied system transformations through context dynamics, albeit not using the transition vocabulary. We contribute to the rising research orientation on projects supporting sustainability transitions with a focus on sustainability projects in city organizations.

Cities are key organizations in urban sustainability transitions. These transitions are multi-actor, multitemporal and multi-regime societal transformations coordinated by the city (Frantzeskaki et al., 2017). Niches that can instigate transitions in urban areas include urban living labs (ULL), in which sustainability innovations are created and experimented in collaboration between the city, companies, citizens, research institutes and other actors (Jørgensen, 2012, von Wirth et al., 2019). The transition accelerates when the niche innovations are translated and scaled up within and across cities to increase their transformative capacity. When they challenge the unsustainable regimes with the support from incumbent actors, they can gradually turn urban development into more sustainable pathways (Frantzeskaki et al., 2017). We recognize that sustainability transition in cities requires attention to two parallel directions. First, while cities are expected to be enablers of ULLs and the main leaders of urban sustainability transitions, they are not unitary actors, but rather divided into siloed bureaucratic departments in city administration. Each department tends to defend its own interests, conventional mindset, and budgetary status quo, and if these fragmented interests and practices are not aligned with the promotion of sustainability transitions, the city administration will lack the motivation to support multi-objective ULL projects and their continuities. Second, because experiments and projects are central to ULLs and essential to wider urban policy agendas for sustainability, it is questionable whether these short-term activities can support the long-term trajectories required for urban sustainability transitions (Torrens & von Wirth, 2021). While only the second challenge is in the focus of sustainability transitions research, the challenges are independent and create a dual-context problem in which a city organization has both internal and external barriers that hinder the promotion of urban sustainability transition.

Conclusions

Urban sustainability transitions that involve changes both in city organizations and the urban context represent a topical yet sparsely researched subject. By using project-as-practice approach and based on in-depth longitudinal action research to study a sustainability transition project in a city organization this research elucidates the ways in which a project enacts a dual role as both a niche intermediary in the urban context and an endogenous change facilitator within the city organization. Thus, the temporary short-term project increases the city organization’s transformative capacity to strengthen the city’s role as a leader in urban sustainability transitions in the long term. We show that the project practitioners’ enactment of sustainability transition in situated and emergent practices created favourable conditions for people to engage in sustainability change, challenged organizational boundaries and created commitment to sustainability transition across departments. This is evidence that the praxes in a sustainability project constitute and instantiate a macro-level sustainability change in the internal organizational context and the external ULL context.

The results of this paper have theoretical implications for the ongoing discussion of the roles of projects in sustainability transitions (Daniel, 2022; Winch, 2022; see also Winch et al., 2023). Daniel (2022) and Winch (2022) emphasize that projects with their teams and individuals are necessary on the level of technical execution, whereas host organizations promote the transition on the meso‑level through projects, portfolios, and programs. In terms of key aspects of project management (Pich et al., 2002), this division is based on instructionism (project using detailed, directive project planning and risk management) and selectionism (host organization putting several projects to work and then selecting the most promising results).

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Abstract

In recent years, the world’s population living in cities has been rapidly increasing. Cities are transforming their infrastructure in a smarter and more efficient way so that sustainable development forms part of their long-term strategy. However, this transformation does not always result in expected benefits due to a variety of factors such as an absence of social acceptance, a lack of holistic design and the development of unilateral interventions. An analysis of the scientific literature related to the evaluation of the impact of smart city actions revealed a gap in the holistic methods for their assessment. To this end, an accurate evaluation of implemented smart solutions focusing on the energy domain is necessary in order to assess the expected and realized impact of each solution. This paper proposes a seven-step methodology for assessing the impact of smart city interventions and presents a use case for the city of Espoo. A number of major findings were the outcome of our research and development work, such as the need for a thorough analysis of the long-term vision of the city, a combined top-down and bottom-up approach and the ongoing cooperation between all stakeholders involved in urban planning and transformation, in which necessary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are defined.

1. Introduction

1.1. The Necessity of Impact Assessment
According to the United Nations [1] 68% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by the year 2050; cities, therefore, are anticipated to face new challenges in sustainably integrating further populace, such as a lack of appropriate infrastructure for sustainable energy and automated systems, applications and commercial arrangements, digital security, network connectivity and data capacity [2]. Cities will be required to transform their infrastructures in a smarter, more efficient and resilient way so that sustainable development forms part of their long-term strategy and a better quality of life is assured to their citizens. The concept of the smart city is multidimensional [3], with the aim of increasing urban sustainability and quality of life while pursuing economic development among its citizens [4]. Additionally, sustainability has gained popularity among scholars, environmental policy makers and government agencies [5]. However, a smart city is not just about creating technically viable urban areas and stimulating economic growth; it requires a multifaceted and multidimensional approach that promotes a structural transformation in the urban ecosystem, directing the development of cities towards their “smartness” in areas such as economy, governance, social, environment, mobility and ICT [6].

Abstract

     Sustainable development requires concerted effort and persistence on various fronts using available resources and technological tools to improve the quality of life. Global sustainability goals are designed to benefit developments in all walks of life of the present and future generations. To attain global sustainability, every country should make best efforts with the available resources and shared means. This paper analyses the case of Saudi Arabia in achieving sustainability through innovations and Information technology in key areas of national development. The contribution of this research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the key projects undertaken by Saudi Arabia to transform the nation into modernity and prosperity by means of cutting-edge technologies and tools. This study shows that the innovation, science and technology play critical role towards achieving sustainable development. Conclusions of this study can serve as an example to achieve sustainability in other parts of the world.

Introduction

     There are many definitions and interpretations of sustainability. In simple words, sustainability amounts to meeting needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability improves the quality of our lives, protects our ecosystem and preserves natural resources for future generations. Global sustainability defines the conditions under which humans and nature, societies and the biosphere, the world and the Earth can coexist in ways that enable productive harmony, stability and resilience to support present and future generations. The sustainable development goals are aimed at achieving a prosperous future for all. They address the challenge and solve the problems we face, like poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. These are the common global issues although different countries may face additional problems due to the factors associated with their region and society. A critical view of Sustainability developments is presented in [1].

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK

     Sustainable development allows every individual, organization and society across the globe to accomplish sustainable goals. Sometimes due to various factors and issues, technologies and inno-vations either do not improve the situation. This may happen due to the absence of an adequate profitable market or lack of adequate infrastructure or coordination among the stakeholders. To overcome these hurdles, in this paper we have argued how successfully the emerging and modern technologies are being used in Saudi Arabia. During the ongoing pandemic, a humanitarian crisis and disaster, use of technological tools have been effectively used. This study shows that the KSA has overcome many obstacles and is marching towards tremendous progress and sustainability in many fields. This has been possible, largely, due to the use of latest technologies. The countries of the regions, especially those in the Middle East and Northern Africa should follow the example of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

     This research analyzes the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Andorran cultural policy. The article contributes to the academic field of cultural sustainability and cultural policy, applying a mixed method on a country’s case study. A content analysis of the White Paper on Culture, a survey addressed to the main Andorran cultural policymakers and a semi-structured interview with the Andorran Minister of Culture have been performed. A new model of analyzing the extent to which cultural policies comply with SDGs in cultural policies is proposed, with the aim that it might be implemented in other countries. The results show that, despite the fact that SDGs are not yet explicitly mentioned in Andorran cultural policy, experts aim to promote the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda as a priority nationwide. The novelty of this research rests on the use of Sustainable Development Goals’ indicators as a code of analysis and as a specific perspective and new approach to evaluating the alignment of cultural sustainability and cultural policies to the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda.

Introduction

     In 2015 the United Nations adopted and promoted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations 2016). Since then, policymakers from all around the world are committed to work for the implementation of this new and demanding paradigm based on a sustainable and responsible development (Turner 2017). The concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ was defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland et al. 1987). The UN 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (hereinafter SDGs) organized into three pillars: economic, environmental, and social (United Nations 2016).

     Currently, the UNESCO considers that culture is a cross-cutting dimension in relationship with sustainable development (hereinafter SD). Culture is considered a driver and a facilitator for SD (UNESCO 2019; Wiktor-Mach 2020), nevertheless, in the 2030 Agenda, culture has a low profile with a limited impact (Duxbury, Kangas, and De Beukelaer 2017; Erlewein 2017; Throsby 2017; Turner 2017).

Conclusions GIORGIA

     The main goal of this research is to analyze the SDGs implementation degree in the Andorran cultural policy. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the dimension of cultural sustainability in the Andorran cultural policy and identifies future strategies in terms of culture and sustainable development. According to the research’s results, the Andorran government highly support the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda (D’Andorra 2019) and considers culture sustainability as a key dimension to improve the country’s sustainable development (D’Andorra 2021). Nevertheless, the SDGs are not explicitly mentioned in the Andorran cultural policy, even if experts consider them a relevant roadmap for the cultural sustainability strategy’s definition.

     Despite the lack of direct reference to the UN SDGs, the Andorran cultural policies highlighted several topics included in the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda. Culture contributes to the sustainable development through the safeguard of the natural heritage. Culture is a driver for social cohesion and education focused on cultural sustainability is a key factor for future generations. Enhance the impact of culture in the improvement of working conditions, specifically for women in the tourism industry, and for the collective and individual economic growth is one of the main challenges for the Andorran policymakers. Besides, culture is considered as a pillar to convert the unsustainable seasonal mass sky tourism practice into a more environmentally and socially sustainable tourism.

Abstract

     While supporting the values and goals of sustainable development at the international level, states might employ very different strategies at the national level. The goal of this Forward and of special issue is twofold. First, it aims to advance our understanding of different strategies, paying special attention to China and Russia at global, national, and sub-national levels. Thus, analysis of their strategies across different levels presents a more rounded picture. The second goal is to identify at least a few of the most pressing challenges of sustainable development across Eurasia (e.g. nuclear supply chain, emissions, environmental conflict management) and to attempt to understand their triggers, outcomes, and potential solutions. This Forward aspires to develop a better dialogue across different sets of literature in area studies, environmental politics, and international relations to improve our understanding of obstacles to sustainable development in Eurasia.

Introduction

     Studies on democratisation and regime transition in Eurasia have flourished over the last two decades.1 The literature has looked into a wide range of causal explanations of the consolidation of a variety of political regimes in Eurasia and in the European Union’s (EU) neighbourhood, such as historical legacies of Communism, the impact of the EU, and (associated with it) the diffusion of democratic values and principles even beyond its enlargement, at national and sub-national levels.2 Membership in international organisations (IOs) has usually been associated with promotion of human rights, democratisation, marketisation, and economic development.3 Only recently have scholars made the next step to ask a question regarding the possibility of the opposite impact of regional IOs led by autocracies on the consolidation of non-democratic regimes across Eurasia.4 Yet, this rich and fast-growing body of literature on the variety of political regimes emerged in Eurasia, their causes, and their consequences, has somehow been detached from studies looking into the problems, challenges, and strategies of sustainable development in Eurasia.5 In economics, however, a few studies have emerged connecting political regimes to outcomes of environmental policies, among other issues (e.g. Fredriksson & Neumayer, 2013; Fredriksson & Wollscheid, 2007; Nazarov & Obydenkova, 2021b). Despite this, there seems to be space for further, more interdisciplinary analysis of specific case studies and actors in Eurasia. While two sets of studies have been developing fast, they seemed to exist in two parallel worlds without much engagement with each other. Yet, both bodies of literature exhibit some similarities and unique insights, and can certainly benefit from establishing a deeper dialogue with each other. This special issue aspires to build on both somewhat separate sets of studies (on political regimes and on sustainable development in Eurasia) and to develop further the dialogue between them.

Conclusion

     This volume contributes to multiple sets of literature and has raised a number of issues that are likely to stay on the research agenda. The collection of articles advances studies on the diffusion of values and practices, on the role of history, and importance of external influences for sustainable development (e.g. historical legacies of nuclear chain and emissions; external impact on environmental movements; environmental rhetoric). These concluding remarks outline some of these findings presented in this volume and place them within broader cross-disciplinary literature.

      First, the special issue contributes to diffusion literature and studies of regionalism. It focuses on the international and national strategies of state actors and on environmental challenges. An important question is whether and how membership of states in different IOs (e.g. global climate clubs or the EU) matters in the fight against climate change (dealing with nuclear chain or emissions). As the study by Tosun and Shyrokykh (2021) argues, membership in climate clubs is associated with learning across states at the global level and allows direct access to the latest information, practices, and innovations. These activities, contacts, and formal and informal meetings within climate clubs (as well as within other IOs) are strongly associated with the diffusion of values and principles. Diffusion takes place at both cross-national and cross sub-national levels (Lankina et al., 2016a). On the other hand, the environmental commitments of China, Russia, and Kazakhstan can be analysed within the literature in terms of formal goals versus real motivations (see also, Libman & Obydenkova, 2018a, 2018b; Poberezhskaya & Bychkova, 2021). While formally proclaiming support for sustainable development, these nondemocracies also seek to augment their international image as global, environmentally friendly actors (Kochtcheeva, 2021; Tosun & Rinscheid, 2021).

Abstract

     To ensure the survival and quality of life of our species, we seek sustainable development to balance the economic, social and environmental spheres in an ethical and equitable manner. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) have become the guiding principles aimed at guaranteeing a safe space for everyone through awareness and clarity of the responsibilities of each individual. This article addresses different views on the topic “sustainable development,” relating them to ethical issues and then associating the discussions with the SDGs. However, in relation to the subject of ethics and concern for planet Earth, several other documents, such as Laudato Si’, Gaia and Gaia 2.0, are of great importance to complement and enrich the discussion. A global perspective is proposed, based on the encyclical Laudato Si’, the Gaia theory of James Lovelock, religious concepts and idea of the good of humanity, along with the vision of Timothy Lenton who talks about Gaia 2.0. It is highlighted that understanding the role of the Church, the government and academic research in combating environmental, social and economic problems is of great relevance. Finally, based on the discussions provided herein it can be observed that although the statements and documents examined present similarities in pointing to an ethical agenda, they need further debate and research.

Introduction

     Initially, it was believed that planet Earth and its elements were available to man to use indiscriminately according to his needs. When men saw the earth from space, it became clear that the planet is limited, existing within a closed system powered by sunlight. Subsequently, with the advancement of science, the interdependence between all beings and natural elements has been increasingly understood (Lovelock, 2000).

     It is now widely accepted that the earth can be considered as a living organism and that one action implies several reactions (Lovelock, 2000; Pillay & Elkadi, 2010). This is a vision of reality based on “awareness of the essential state of interrelation and interdependence of all phenomena—physical, biological, psychological, social and cultural” (Capra, 1984). Consequently, the current understanding of our planet and its environmental conditions is a limiting and determining factor for the maintenance of species (Rockström et al., 2009). It should be noted in this regard that the current geological period is called the Anthropocene, also known as the “Era of Humanity” (Artaxo, 2014).

Results and discussion

Analysis of databases

     For each database, the three groups of search terms were used: (Gaia AND Gaia 2.0); (“Sustainable development goals” AND “Laudato si”); (“Sustainable development goals” AND Ethics). Figure 2 shows the fnal results of the search.

     As shown in Fig. 2, a higher number of documents were identifed in the ScienceDirect database, followed by Web of Science. On applying the frst group of terms (Gaia AND Gaia 2.0), a total of 1,425 articles was identifed. For the second group of terms (“Sustainable development goals” AND “Laudato si”), 18 articles were identifed. The third group of terms (“Sustainable development goals” AND Ethics) collected a total of 1,753 articles. These data show the small number of studies directed mainly at the second group of terms. After the analysis, to discuss the results and discussions in the theoretical scope, 56 documents were used.

Abstract

     Based on the scores and trends of Sustainable Development Goals, Iran, our case study, has been unsuccessful in nearly all the pillars of sustainable development despite the variations in socioeconomic variables related to the SDGs. This implies a comprehensive underdevelopment in Iran, necessitating the improvement of infrastructure which significantly affects all the pillars of sustainable development including environment, health, and economy. This study, takes transportation as an important infrastructure which has various direct and indirect impacts on all pillars of sustainable development, especially in the case study of Iran. To evaluate this, the present study aims to investigate 1) which sustainability perspective dominates in Iran (strong sustainability, weak sustainability, or health-centered sustainability); and 2) the consistency degree of each transportation mode with each pillar of sustainability including environment, health, and economy. We employ VAR and simultaneous equations system to find which perspective of sustainable development dominates Iran; and to rank the transportations modes in accordance with their consistency with sustainable development in Iran during 1979–2016. Overall, the results of this study is found to be significant and support the strong sustainability perspective in Iran. The most compliant transportation modes with the sustainable development in Iran are then ranked as: a) rail, b) air, c) road, and d) maritime transportation. These results suggest the policy-makers to: 1) value the environmental issues at the top of the agenda for the sustainability strategies; and 2) to shift the load of passenger and goods to the rail transportation by investing and developing the rail network.

Introduction

     Starting from the industrial revolution, the vast increase in the production of consumer goods, as well as urbanization has been taking place all around the world. Although such development has had a positive impact on the livelihood of societies, its social reliance and impact on natural resources has increased considerable concerns on this transition. According to the latest data published by the World Bank, the world’s total population has already passed 7.76 billion, and is expected to reach over 9.7 billion by 2050 (World Bank, 2022). Such large population require an ever-increasing dependence on natural resources and the environment [70]. Having foreseen such sustained growth in population, the United Nations (UN) has been one of first intergovernmental entities to organize a series of comprehensive actions over the last few decades to incorporate sustainable means in this socio-technological development. Agenda 21, for instance, has been firstly introduced by the UN in 1992, as a comprehensive plan of actions to enhance the human lives and conserve the environment at the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro. Later in 2015, the UN published a set of 17 goals, commonly referred to as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or also agenda 2030) which outline the objectives necessary to end poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, as well as advocating peace and justice [46,66]. Since then, the doctrine of global sustainability has advanced and become a key element of international sustainability studies and developmental agendas [13,56]. Following this, numerous studies have used the 17 set of goals as a playground to incorporate sustainability in various fields and industries.

Conclusion

     Based on the score of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Iran has been unsuccessful in almost all of the sustainable development goals and pillars. This implies a comprehensive underdevelopment in Iran in various dimensions including environment, social, and economic. To evaluate this, the present study focuses on transportation, since it plays a key role in each single sustainable development pillar in Iran.

     This research tries to find the most consistent transportation mode with the sustainable development pillars in Iran. To find a more accurate ranking of transportation modes, we investigate which perspective of sustainable development dominates in Iran by producing and using HEY model with VAR approach based on World Bank data during 1979–2016. The findings point that the strong sustainability perspective is most effective in case of Iran which implies that the environment plays the most important role in sustainable development, before the social and economic pillars.

Abstract

Introduction

Review of literature on the current understanding and ongoing debate of smart cities

Method and data

Results and discussion

Conclusion

Declarations

References

Abstract

     Smart city is one of the fastest growing socio-economic and scientific initiative in the world. Still, it is only in principle and a mere blueprint for many developing countries. This study reviews literature on smart city in Nigeria and developing countries. Our aim is to explore ways to improve the quality of Nigeria’s urban areas, based on recent research on the concept of smart city and its implementation. We summarise key research findings, and gather evidence that shows what composition of urban governance, social, economic, and environmental factors, that would influence actualising a smart city in Nigeria. Although knowledge has grown tremendously in the current literature on the definition, significance, governance, policy, and implementation of a smart city, its significance in Nigeria and other developing countries is supplemental. As an environmentally friendly initiative, a smart city will support urban sustainability and livelihood in Nigeria in a myriad of ways—environmental protection, and mainstream urban services, including public security and safety, access to quality health care, efficient power supply, clean water distribution, assets management, smart transportation, etc. However, despite her unique traditional urban agglomeration trends, Nigeria is unambitious and constrained towards actualising a smart city. Actualising a smart city in Nigeria and other developing countries would require radical and ambitious policies on development of human and infrastructural capacity, as well as institutional reinforcement. This highlights the need for more research, of which we are optimistic that the findings of this research will support with its new insight and clear guidelines.

Introduction

     A smart city is modern architectural philosophy, focusing on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to solve problems endogenous to the city, and to power vital activities. It represents a major transformation from the traditional urban agglomeration to a twenty-frst-century metropolis, which advances city functions, promotes economic growth, and improves the quality of life for citizens (Bakıcı et al., 2013). One obvious beneft of a smart city is the level of government response to the needs and well-being of citizens through positive interaction between the government and citizens, aided by technology-driven policies and services. When we look at some of the smart cities in the world today for example Singapore, San-Diego, Barcelona, and Hong Kong, we could fnd that smartness of cities creates applications and urban services that combine technology and promotes the development of policies and practices to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges facing today’s urban areas (Su et al., 2011).

Conclusion

     A smart city represents a shift both in mindset and architectural framework from the traditional agglomeration of roads, public utilities, and amenities to a modern system that uses big data and ICT to enhance the livelihood of the citizens and government policy and program of service delivery within the city. This is a major incentive for research and policy towards the sustainable development of cities. There is also an opportunity to tackle urban scenic distortion and to provide a more dynamic and diversifed science to address common issues – such as climate change, increasing frequency, and severity of crimes, social disorders, and disasters – arising from urban agglomerations and the burgeoning human population in cities.

For the developing countries (DCs) such as Nigeria – the focus of this study – a smart city’s conceptualization is slightly skewed because of the vagaries of challenges to its actualization. Thus, the idea of a smart city is still more utopian than realistic. However, the future of the DCs is arguably a smart city because of the complex urbanizations and predictions that places within the DCs will contribute signifcantly to the global urban populations, which is estimated at 90% of the global population by 2050. Therefore, to address the attendant problems that prevail presently in the DCs’ urban areas – which include environmental, economic, and human development issues – a smart city is a potent option.

Abstract

     Most sustainability assessment systems focus on comparing the sustainable progress across cities, and few concentrate on tracking the sustainability progress of cities over time with the consideration of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Tracking the sustainable progress of cities over time can help unveil the potential obstacles and challenges in city governance and provide references for city policy-makers. Hence, the present study built up a framework to evaluate sustainable development progress in Shenzhen from 2005 to 2019. Shenzhen is a young megacity with only 40 years of history, and it is one of the demonstration zones to represent sustainable development in China. Fifty indicators in the dimensions of innovation vitality, public service, and living environments are chosen to consider the focus of both UN SDGs goals and Shenzhen’s sustainable development plans. The potential bottlenecks for city development are identified, and effective policies implemented by Shenzhen policy-makers are highlighted. Results showed that the innovation vitality in Shenzhen had improved continuously since 2005, but public service and living environments both showed a falling trend after a peak in 2014 and 2016. The result revealed that as a megacity, Shenzhen should pay more attention to public service and living environments, especially in the construction of schools at all levels, salvation management centers, and green space, and improve air quality to meet the requirement of higher rank in sustainable urban development. It is suggested that cities build a solid system to monitor their progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The experience from Shenzhen can be adapted and implemented by other young megacities worldwide to accelerate their path towards sustainability.

Introduction

     The concept of sustainable development was first mentioned in the United Nations report named “Our Common Future” in 1987, which defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland et al., 1987). Various economic development modes, strategies, and policies worldwide were then developed by considering economic, social, and environmental factors simultaneously, so-called in a sustainable way (Wu, 2013; Jepson, 2004; Moe et al., 2006; Strong, 2006). In 2015, the United Nations announced the report “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (The, 2030 Agenda), which put forward 17 global sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, which lead the path towards sustainable development to the new page (UN, 2015b).

Conclusion

     The research focused on evaluating sustainable development progress in the megacity Shenzhen from 2005 to 2019 by constructing an index system covering three dimensions of innovation vitality, public service, and living environment with 15 s-level and 50 tertiary indicators. According to the assessment, overall sustainable development in Shenzhen was much better in recent years. The growth rate of sustainable development score was rapid before 2013 but slower afterward. In terms of the three dimensions of Shenzhen’s sustainable development, innovation vitality kept improving since 2005. Public service improved before 2014 but regressed after that. The living environment improved before 2016 but showed a falling trend afterward. The evaluation indicates that Shenzhen paid great attention to the construction of innovation vitality.

      In terms of future development, it is suggested that the local government build a more solid sustainable assessment system with indicators covering all 17 SDGs to monitor the progress to sustainability. Shenzhen could accelerate the construction of higher education institutions and research institutes by cooperating with top universities and financial and policy support for sustainable urban development. The burden of innovation investment may be relieved by training programs or networking organized by the government. The obstacle of public services is suggested to be taken seriously and could be reduced by urban renewal. The living environment is one of the strengths of sustainable development in Shenzhen and could be maintained by constructing a resource-saving society.

Abstract

Introduction

Seeing the smart city

Smart city visibility

Visibility and stratagems

Three strategies of visibility

Visualizing smart cities

A politics of visibility

Declarations

References

Abstract

     Cities across the world are increasingly labelling themselves as smart in one way or another. At the same time, this smartness appears amorphous or invisible in its built urban environment. Critical researchers writing on the smart city regularly express confusion or exasperation about precisely the difficulty to locate the smart in the city. Visibility of the smart city is not a given. This article argues that visibility in the case of the smart city is instead strategically produced, and that the strategy opted for tells us something about the kind of urban imaginary put forward. The article introduces a provisional and non-exhaustive taxonomy of strategies of visibility based on analyses of three different cases of smart city projects (in Brazil, Sweden and Canada) and identifies the ways in which the smart city is made visible (or not)—symbolic presence of smart, modelling smart and ubiquitous invisible smart—and discusses what kind of city is envisioned based on each strategy.

Introduction

     The following article investigates the visibility of the smart city. The main argument is that smart city visibility is strategic rather than given, and the article presents three different strategies of visibility inferred from urban examples: the control room of Rio de Janeiro’s smart city operations (the COR), a proposed smart model city in Sweden (Plusstaden) and visualizations of the proposed and later discontinued project Sidewalk Toronto. These three cases represent three different strategies of making the smart city visible: symbolic presence of smart (manifestation through a representation of a smart object or space), modelling smart (constructing exemplary environments), and ubiquitous invisible smart (a strategic invisibility). The article, furthermore, argues that the way in which the smart city is made visible outlines different future imaginaries that produce different relationships between state, smart system, and inhabitants. Smart city visibility will therefore ultimately constitute a political question, not least with regards to transparency, and deserves more scholarly attention than has been the case up to now.

     The principal contribution of the article is to the under researched field of the smart city’s medial and material manifestations. While smart city visibility is touched on in a range of critical research into the following areas: material manifestations of the smart city (Halpern 2015; Picon 2015; Halegoua 2020), visualizations of smart city (Rose 2017, 2018a, b) and narratives of the smart city (Söderström et al. 2014), there is very little research concerning itself with its visibility as such, and even less on the strategic aspects of this visibility. In this sense, the article contributes to the field of smart city visibility through differentiating between different approaches to visibility of smart cities. The article provides a preliminary framework for further analysis of smart city visibility and offers a set of analytical concepts for future research and policymaking.

A politics of visibility

     Sometimes, the smart city is presented as a uniform corporate vision, at times juxtaposed with ‘civic hackers’ (Townsend 2013) or the ‘social city’ (Halegoua 2020), offering community-based non-corporate alternatives to the corporate smart city vision. The smart visions here discussed through their strategies of visibility cannot be neatly divided in this sense. Instead, the material suggests a bigger variation of smart city dreams—the municipal government (with IBM in Rio de Janeiro) vs the national Swedish platform proposed by Plusstaden and the corporate smart city of Sidewalk Toronto.

     I am not arguing that one smart city strategy of visibility is necessarily preferable to others, it would seem to be too early to decide, nor that all models are good or bad. Rather, they present different problems to its inhabitants, not only through the different subjectivities encouraged but also in terms of experience and transparency. These problems need to be addressed through other measures, through policy and laws. The strategies of visibility themselves require different societal responses and the strategies’ political effects will depend on these responses.

Abstract

     Vertical displacement is a common concrete slab sidewalk deficiency, which may cause trip hazards and reduce wheelchair accessibility. This paper presents an automatic approach for trip hazard detection and mapping based on deep learning. A low-cost mobile LiDAR scanner was used to obtain full-width as-is conditions of sidewalks, after which a method was developed to convert the scanned 3D point clouds into 2D RGB orthoimages and elevation images. Then, a deep learning-based model was developed for pixelwise segmentation of concrete slab joints. Algorithms were developed to extract different types of joints of straight and curved sidewalks from the segmented images. Vertical displacement was evaluated by measuring elevation differences of adjacent concrete slab edges parallel to the boundaries of joints, based on which potential trip hazards were identified. In the end, the detected trip hazards and normal sidewalk joints were geo-visualized with specific information on Web GIS. Experiments demonstrated the proposed approach performed well for segmenting joints from images, with a highest segmentation IoU (Intersection over Union) of 0.88, and achieved similar results compared with manual assessment for detecting and mapping trip hazards but with a higher efficiency. The developed approach is cost- and time-effective, which is expected to enhance sidewalk assessment and improve sidewalk safety for the general public.

Introduction

     Public sidewalks are essential infrastrstructures in cities to provide convenience for urban life. Deficiencies of sidewalks will lead to inconvinence, disruptions and potential hazards to residents. Hence, it is important to monitor and evaluate sidewalk condition such as to take necessary maintenance measures to ensure the normal functionality of sidewalks. To ensure public sidewalks remain in good conditions, local governments usually have their own sidewalk program to assist private property owners (who are the maintaining authority of the sidewalk adjacent to their property) with concrete slab evaluation and defect correction. The typical traditional approach for sidewalk surveying is using smart-level and measuring tools, e.g. tapes, to manually take slope readings and evaluating the compliance with related regulations. However, such manual surveying method takes a long time to assess overall conditions of sidewalks, for example, the City of Middleton and the Village of Shorewood both require eight years to go through each neighborhood (City of Middleton, 2021b, Village of Shorewood, 2021).

Conclusion

     This paper developed and tested a sidewalk trip hazard detection and geo-visualization method that can automatically assess concrete slab deficiencies after obtaining the point clouds via a low-cost LiDAR scanner. Firstly, low-cost mobile LiDAR devices were used to scan sidewalks to obtain the point cloud data, which were then converted to RGB images using the develop tool. Second, a deep learning-based segmentation model U-Net was trained with the sidewalk images to segment concrete joints in the image. Afterwards, joints were extracted from the segmented image and vertical displacements for each joint were evaluated, based on which potential trip hazards were identified and specific information was geo-visualized in Web GIS platform. The experiment results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method. Specifically, the segmentation model performed well for segmenting different types of joints in images (with a highest joint IoU of 0.88) and all the vertical displacement conditions were accurately and comprehensively detected. It was found that integrating the RGB feature with the Normal feature can improve the joint segmentation accuracy of the deep learning model, but the improvement was not significant. For future application, using the point cloud converted orthoimages is sufficient to detect joints. In this study, the segmentation model trained with a few images of straight sidewalks with groover cut contraction (control) joints and the corresponding joint label images already obtained good performance, but adding extra images, such as vegetation covered joints, to enrich the dataset will be considered for future application. Compared to the methods (in Table 2) in existing studies, scanning the as-is condition of the sidewalk with a mobile device is convenient and faster in achieving full-width coverage.

Introduction

One of the most noteworthy arcs of the 21st century has been the explosive growth seen in the usage and deployment of technology. More specifically, the advancement of information and communications technology (ICT) has been the foundation for many of the innovations seen over this century thus far. The wide-spanning adoption of the Internet for social media, e-commerce, news consumption, and more has redefined much of our everyday lives and industries across the world. Due to the advancements of ICT, there are many exciting opportunities for what is yet to come. One longstanding opportunity for the future is the vision of the smart city.

There are countless different ideas and definitions for what exactly qualifies as a smart city. A more general definition, provided by Bakıcı et al. in [1], defines smart cities as being high-tech cities that serve to connect people, information, and city-wide infrastructure and resources using advances in technology to improve sustainability, innovation, and overall quality-of-life. The extent to which how pervasive (or intrusive) technologies are incorporated to accomplish such goals is often a point of contention in the literature [2]. However, the many different visions for what define smart cities all generally involve heavy utilization of technology to improve the maintenance of cities to further improve and/or optimize city-specific operations for different stakeholders (e.g., citizens, the environment).

Realizing the ambitious vision of smart cities requires seamlessly making decisions for a host of different applications and domains with minimal sacrifice with respect to performance and resource costs. Some applications of interest for smart cities include, but are not limited to, smart traffic light control, smart information spread (or advertisement), smart energy distribution, smart waste management, etc. Ideally, data generated in urban environments can be collected in smart cities using CT-powered infrastructure to train and inform models designed for these applications to make realtime decisions. For instance, insistent collection of traffic congestion data from roadside units(RSU) and other sources can be sent to ICT infrastructure to train machine learning models how to make optimal decisions related to traffic lights to reduce congestion. This approach is becoming more within reach given the advances in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) [3, 4, 5] and other Internetof-Vehicles (IoV) systems [6, 7, 8].

Making smart decisions in a timely fashion will require a powerful pipeline ready to support intense amounts of data collection, analytics, and adaptive decision-making. For instance, video feeds at road intersections — to empower models for smart traffic light control — are large in size (in terms of bytes) and will require automated processes to make meaningful decisions in real-time. However, video cameras that provide such video feeds will be unable, on their own, to perform such analytics and decision-making. Such tasks would require more computational resources than would be available at video cameras and other similar sensors that can be found in urban environments. Thus, for such applications, smart cities will need to be able to provide heavy computational power on-demand, even for devices that do not have such resources locally. Applications (e.g., big data analytics, video classification) all require large amounts of compute resources in order to adequately process. Because Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices like smartphones are often ill-equipped to meet the needs of such processes [9, 10], a standard approach for providing these services on these devices is to rely on remote resources.