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A Review of the Theory and Practice of Smart City Construction in China

Author

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  • Zhengrong Liu

    (School of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China)

  • Jianping Wu

    (School of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    Autonomous Driving and Smart Transport Research Centre, Shenzhen Institute of Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518057, China)

Abstract

The construction of smart cities is an imperative trend for high-quality urban development and represents a crucial solution to various problems that afflict urbanization, such as population growth pressure, resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and economic frailty. To create a smart city, it is essential to gain a profound understanding of the evolution and experiences of urban development and have a clear grasp of the concept, emphasis, and developmental trajectory of smart cities. However, previous research and theoretical frameworks have mainly focused on the digital transformation of cities, the application of new generation information technologies, and the comprehensive intelligence of cities, neglecting the fundamental positioning and value of cities, which is the people’s central position and pursuit of happiness. This has led to many situations where intelligence is pursued for the sake of intelligence, resulting in inefficient use and allocation of resources. This paper puts forth a framework for the three generations of smart city construction and their meanings at the conceptual level, conducts an in-depth analysis of the development process and challenges of smart cities in China, and provides suggestions for improvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhengrong Liu & Jianping Wu, 2023. "A Review of the Theory and Practice of Smart City Construction in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7161-:d:1132363
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Diogo Correia & Leonor Teixeira & João Lourenço Marques, 2021. "Reviewing the State-of-the-Art of Smart Cities in Portugal: Evidence Based on Content Analysis of a Portuguese Magazine," Publications, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-30, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu Sun & Lide Su & Bo Zhou & Te Bu & Yang Zhang, 2024. "Systematic evaluation of integration between China’s digital economy and sports industry: Two-stage grey relational analysis and vector autoregressive model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-25, May.
    2. Yangyang Zhong & Yilin Zhong & Longpeng Zhang & Zhiwei Tang, 2024. "The Path to Urban Sustainability: Urban Intelligent Transformation and Green Development—Evidence from 286 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-32, November.
    3. Daniel G. Costa & João Carlos N. Bittencourt & Franklin Oliveira & João Paulo Just Peixoto & Thiago C. Jesus, 2024. "Achieving Sustainable Smart Cities through Geospatial Data-Driven Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-30, January.
    4. Guoqing Shi & Bing Liang & Taotao Ye & Kexin Zhou & Zhonggen Sun, 2024. "Exploring the Coordinated Development of Smart-City Clusters in China: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Yingyuan Liu & Qian Wan & Wenhui Chen, 2024. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Digital Inclusive Finance as a Catalyst for Rural Revitalization: An Empirical Analysis from the County Development Perspective in Hubei Province," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 11548-11580, September.
    6. Horia-Daniel ȘTEFĂNESCU & Ligia NICULAE, 2024. "sVTOL and eVTOL technologies in Romania: Assessing awareness, concerns, and adoption potential in smart urban mobility," Smart Cities International Conference (SCIC) Proceedings, Smart-EDU Hub, Faculty of Public Administration, National University of Political Studies & Public Administration, vol. 12, pages 191-217, september.
    7. Wen Zhang & Bin Guo & Wei Zhao & Yutong He & Xinyu Wang, 2025. "Making Smart Cities Human-Centric: A Framework for Dynamic Resident Demand Identification and Forecasting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-27, October.

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