Smart-City Citizen Engagement: The Answer to Energy Savings in an Economic Crisis?

Abstract

As the populations of cities grow, it is obvious that they need more and more resources. Energy is currently one of the most desirable resources due to the economic and energy crisis, but it needs to be used in a sustainable manner. There are cities that achieve smart city (SC) status that provide smart policies towards sustainable development. The aim of the present paper is to determine whether citizen engagement in SC can contribute to reduced energy consumption in the current economic crisis. The paper presents an original survey intended to collect primary data and a study conducted based exclusively on qualitative methods. The results concern a broad and multifaceted review of literature concerning SCs, as well as citizens’ engagement and their role in SC development. The study allows understanding of the economic phenomena taking place in SCs and filling the gaps regarding the behavior of SC citizens. It shows that SCs create smart citizens that feel responsible for the environment and aggregate a more responsible environment for public actions with citizen engagement. In terms of energy savings, the study shows that it is possible to specify the economic and energy benefits of SC citizen engagement.

Fostering Smart Citizens: The Role of Public Libraries in Smart City Development

“…Early studies approach this topic from a social and human capital lens by discussing the term "smart people" as a significant dimension of smart cities and characterizing smart people as comprising "various factors like affinity to lifelong learning, social and ethnic plurality, flexibility, creativity, cosmopolitanism or open-mindedness, and participation in public life" [28,112,113]. Further, smart people use technology and data to make informed choices related to resource and service consumption towards greater sustainability and interact with others about public affairs [65,[102][103][104][105][106][107]. Smart people are also skilled individuals who contribute to socioeconomic development [33,45,79,[108][109][110][111], for example, as innovators [114] and problemsolvers for urban issues [1,8,78].…”

“…In this way, studies acknowledge that, at the core, smart citizens have access to technology and knowledge, are digitally skilled and informed, and can actively and meaningfully participate in complex, technology-oriented smart city decisions [20,33,132,133]. Yet, this perception of smart citizens can exclude those unaware of the use and impact of technology in their cities, which limits participation [58,71,107,127]. This research sub-stream thus posits that the assumption of smart citizens as tech-savvy populations able to participate could be unrepresentative and exacerbate inequalities, especially given the multidimensional social and digital divides [23,42,51,65,76,[126][127][128][129][130][131].…”

Exploring the Roles, Future Impacts, and Strategic Integration of Artificial Intelligence in the Optimization of Smart City—From Systematic Literature Review to Conceptual Model

“…This involves using digital platforms to facilitate communication, engage citizens in decision-making processes, and ensure that the city's development aligns with its inhabitants' needs and preferences. It is about creating a two-way dialogue where citizens are not just passive recipients of city services but active participants in the city's development [33]. Table 2 reveals the current roles of AI in enhancing the four identified key drivers with examples.…”

Economic and Energy Analysis of the Construction of a Wind Farm with Infrastructure in the Baltic Sea

“…Offshore wind energy is today considered to be the most energy-efficient and safe source of renewable energy, and its development is becoming a determinant of the economic growth of countries around the world [20,21]. The biggest advantages of the intensive development of offshore wind turbines include: the use of higher wind speeds in offshore areas, resulting in higher efficiency; offshore wind conditions being more stable compared to land; the possibility of using turbines with higher power; and no controversy related to the installation of power plants in close proximity to residential areas [22][23][24].…”