With the intensification of urbanization, the application of contemporary technology to make cities smarter is the key to their sustainable development (SD). This study aims to propose a comprehensive assessment framework for the SD of smart cities. First, an assessment system with 5 dimensions and 25 indicators is proposed in this paper. Second, a Z fuzzy-based multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model is developed to clarify the internal influence of the indicators and to determine the SD performance of smart cities. The Z-DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique was used to determine the mutual influence relationship of the indicator and their influence weights. Moreover, this paper selected one well-known city in China as a case study and used the Z-TOPSIS-AL (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution based on aspiration level) approach for analysis. The results demonstrate that quality of life, per capita GDP, and GDP growth rate are the top three indicators, which means that decision-makers should pay more attention to these indicators when constructing and managing a smart city. This study provides a reference for follow-up related research, and the management findings provide a basis for managers to make decisions on the development of smart cities.

With the intensification of urbanization, the application of contemporary technology to make cities smarter is the key to their sustainable development (SD). This study aims to propose a comprehensive assessment framework for the SD of smart cities. First, an assessment system with 5 dimensions and 25 indicators is proposed in this paper. Second, a Z fuzzy-based multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model is developed to clarify the internal influence of the indicators and to determine the SD performance of smart cities. The Z-DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique was used to determine the mutual influence relationship of the indicator and their influence weights. Moreover, this paper selected one well-known city in China as a case study and used the Z-TOPSIS-AL (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution based on aspiration level) approach for analysis. The results demonstrate that quality of life, per capita GDP, and GDP growth rate are the top three indicators, which means that decision-makers should pay more attention to these indicators when constructing and managing a smart city. This study provides a reference for follow-up related research, and the management findings provide a basis for managers to make decisions on the development of smart cities.

Green design is a key step in improving the green performance of corporate projects. Stimulating the green design behavior of designers is the guarantee for the sustainable implementation of green design. This study extracted four dimensions, namely, external motivation, corporate-level drivers, product-level drivers and designers’ attributes, and 18 indicators to consider designers’ green design driving force through the literature. The DANP model was used to analyze the relationship between the indicators and the degree of importance of the indicators. The results indicated that external motivation and designer attributes influenced corporate-level drivers, while product-level drivers were outcome factors. Corporate reputation, organizational strategy and institutional pressure were the three most important criteria. Enterprises’ incentives and personnel care for designers are crucial for promoting designers’ continuous participation in green design.