Smart city transformation: A lesson learnt from a developing economy

Abstract

The transformation from a rural to an urban economy has resulted in modifications to population structure, manufacturing processes, and the social and political environment (Ritchie & Roser, 2019). To address urbanisation-related issues, the push toward smart cities has been accelerated (Adiyarta et al., 2020). To turn Pathum Thani, Thailand, into a smart city promptly, a number of problems must be resolved. This research aims to assess the strengths and shortcomings of Pathum Thani’s efforts to become a smart city and to rate the importance of each application domain for smart cities. A representative sample of Pathum Thani locals was examined. For data analysis, the 5-point Likert scale and the priority needs index (PNI) were implemented. The findings show that Pathum Thani’s potential to become a smart city is highest in the field of smart energy and weakest in all other areas. When ranking the significance of the seven application domains, it was crucial to build smart governance first. The findings imply that government agencies should set guidelines for urgent development projects and provide a transparent and sufficient digital infrastructure to facilitate the expansion of business activities in the city.