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Navigating the Path to Smart and Sustainable Cities: Insights from South Korea’s National Strategic Smart City Program

Author

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  • Yookyung Lee

    (Yongin Research Institute, Yongin 16976, Republic of Korea)

  • Seungwoo Han

    (Department of Political Science and International Relations, Kyonggi University, Suwon 16227, Republic of Korea)

  • Youngtae Cho

    (Land and Housing Research Institute, Daejeon 34047, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

This study evaluates the progress of Korea’s National Strategic Smart City Program (NSSCP), a flagship R&D initiative, in advancing sustainable and intelligent urban development on a global scale. Utilizing the United Nations’ United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) framework, which integrates both sustainability and smartness in city development, this research examines the program’s alignment with global standards. The findings reveal that the NSSCP contributes to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as health, energy, innovation, and sustainable communities. It also effectively addresses key dimensions of smart cities, including smart living, environmental stewardship, mobility, and economic vitality. Despite these achievements, this study identifies critical challenges, such as the absence of robust evaluation tools and an overemphasis on quantitative targets. This research is important in advancing the discourse on smart city development, offering insights into the efficacy of smart services and systems through the lens of the NSSCP’s cloud-based open data hub model.

Suggested Citation

  • Yookyung Lee & Seungwoo Han & Youngtae Cho, 2025. "Navigating the Path to Smart and Sustainable Cities: Insights from South Korea’s National Strategic Smart City Program," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:5:p:928-:d:1641572
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katharina Lange & Jörg Knieling, 2020. "EU Smart City Lighthouse Projects between Top-Down Strategies and Local Legitimation: The Case of Hamburg," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(1), pages 107-115.
    2. Chengming Li & Zhaoxin Dai & Xiaoli Liu & Wei Sun, 2020. "Evaluation System: Evaluation of Smart City Shareable Framework and Its Applications in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Katharina Lange & Jörg Knieling, 2020. "EU Smart City Lighthouse Projects between Top-Down Strategies and Local Legitimation: The Case of Hamburg," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(1), pages 107-115.
    4. Ralf-Martin Soe & Luiza Schuch de Azambuja & Kalle Toiskallio & Marko Nieminen & Michael Batty, 2022. "Institutionalising smart city research and innovation: from fuzzy definitions to real-life experiments," Urban Research & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 112-154, January.
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