Extract
[...] Conclusion New smart cities, touted as the solution to urban decline, face a major challenge: attracting populations. Despite their modern infrastructure, innovative technologies, and promises of improved quality of life, these intelligent cities struggle to spark the interest of residents. Several factors contribute to this problem. Firstly, rapid urbanization and the development of smart cities often come at the expense of the human aspect. Residents may feel disconnected from their environment, losing the sense of community and belonging that characterizes traditional cities. [...]
[...] - Smart citizens are essential to urban development. A city cannot be as smart as its inhabitants. Despite the many technologies available, smart citizens remain at the heart of the city. They must be able to use and benefit from these technologies. Cooperation between citizens and technology is crucial to improve the many negative aspects of cities (Zenkteler, Darchen, Mateo-Babiano, & Baffour, 2022). - Smart governance, or e-governance, involves the use of technology by the government to improve public services. [...]
[...] These cities, built from scratch with modern infrastructure, struggle to attract residents. Meanwhile, other even more ambitious projects, such as NEOM and The Line in Saudi Arabia, promoted by Mohammed Ben Salmane, continue to come to life. This research relies on concepts such as smart cities, global cities, and shrinking cities, to explore this phenomenon and link it to the existing literature. We aim to anchor our reflection in a perspective that is both political, social, economic, and environmental, by adopting a geographical approach. [...]
[...] The focus has been on marketing and surveillance rather than community involvement, leading to inadequate implementations. Successes: The Barcelona approach has consisted of involving citizens in local projects and promoting free software, which has fostered a culture of transparency and accountability. This participatory governance has allowed residents to have their say in the development of smart city initiatives, leading to more effective results. Hypothesis Defects in economic accessibility and basic infrastructure Failures Ineconomic accessibility and gaps in basic infrastructure contribute to the inability of smart cities to attract and retain populations. [...]
[...] The majority of large cities are still thriving and decline is concentrated on peripheral cities and smaller towns. This applies to industrial cities, small mining towns, and new towns on the periphery and remote suburbs of large metropolises. In developing countries, cities develop through natural increase, migration, and the transformation of rural areas into urban centers. Reclassification involves redefining the city's boundaries, eliminating villages, and creating cities. Over the past few years, urban growth and urbanization have been mainly influenced by the annexation of surrounding areas by cities. [...]
