Smart city construction and urban livability: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

As global urbanization speeds up, smart city construction has become crucial for improving urban management and elevating residents’ life quality. Its impact on urban livability is now a key issue in urban planning and public policy. This study treats smart city policy (SCP) implementation as a quasi-natural experiment, using panel data from 284 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2019. A time-varying DID model is used to quantify SCP’s effect on urban livability and to examine their transmission mechanisms. The findings show that: (1) SCP significantly improves urban livability, as verified by a series of robustness tests; (2) SCP has a stronger positive impact in larger cities, non-resource-based cities, and cities with higher human capital; (3) Technological innovation and government social governance are key pathways through which SCP enhances urban livability; (4) SCP has positive spillover effects that improve livability in surrounding non-pilot cities. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers on optimizing resource allocation and increasing the effectiveness of smart city initiatives and provide a sound empirical basis for future urban transformation strategies in China.