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Clustering of European Smart Cities to Understand the Cities’ Sustainability Strategies

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  • Carmen Cantuarias-Villessuzanne

    (ESPI2R, Campus Paris, ESPI, 92300 Paris, France)

  • Romain Weigel

    (ESPI2R, Campus Nantes, ESPI, 44323 Nantes, France)

  • Jeffrey Blain

    (ESPI2R, Campus Lyon, ESPI, 69009 Lyon, France)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the smart strategies of European cities through the dynamic capabilities approach. We develop a clustering of smart cities based on the activities implemented by the cities. Our methodology considers three steps. First, we establish an empirical assessment of the smart dimensions for 40 European cities. Then, we categorize and interpret core capabilities via a principal component analysis. Finally, we highlight a hierarchical ascending classification identifying three relevant groups of cities. As a result, the first cluster represents cities with emerging smart strategies. The second cluster regroups international metropolises, which have technology-oriented strategies to deal with specific challenges. The third cluster stands for middle-sized European cities with a good quality of life. Our outcomes show that there is not just one smart city but several smart cities emerging according to the cities’ environment. These findings enrich the analysis of smart cities’ dynamic capabilities and point out how these strategies make cities sustainable.

Suggested Citation

  • Carmen Cantuarias-Villessuzanne & Romain Weigel & Jeffrey Blain, 2021. "Clustering of European Smart Cities to Understand the Cities’ Sustainability Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:513-:d:476326
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. María Jesús Rosado-García & Renata Kubus & Ramón Argüelles-Bustillo & María Jesús García-García, 2021. "A New European Bauhaus for a Culture of Transversality and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Sascha von Behren & Maximilian Turek & Lukas Barthelmes & Hanna Scholta & Frank Hansen & Martin Kagerbauer & Christine Eisenmann, 2023. "Decoding Urban Archetypes: Exploring Mobility-Related Homogeneity among Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Alaa Amin Abdalla & Yousif Abdelbagi Abdalla & Akarm M. Haddad & Ganga Bhavani & Eman Zabalawi, 2022. "Connections between Big Data and Smart Cities from the Supply Chain Perspective: Understanding the Impact of Big Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Armin Razmjoo & Meysam Majidi Nezhad & Lisa Gakenia Kaigutha & Mousa Marzband & Seyedali Mirjalili & Mehdi Pazhoohesh & Saim Memon & Mehdi A. Ehyaei & Giuseppe Piras, 2021. "Investigating Smart City Development Based on Green Buildings, Electrical Vehicles and Feasible Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-14, July.

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