Public Value Creation in a Smart City Context: An Analysis Framework

Launching smart city activities and projects requires political support. For sustainable approaches, a concrete strategy, and leadership endorsement from the municipal government is crucial. In accordance with the most prevalent definitions of a smart city, postulating that a city must enhance quality of life and provide benefits to the people living and working there, this book chapter focuses on one specific aspect of public value, the value it can bring to citizens. Through discussion of earlier theoretical approaches and empirical evidence, we provide a framework to better capture, analyze and model value creation in a given municipal ecosystem.

By analyzing two different cases—Amsterdam and Winterthur—it becomes clear that “smartness” is not just a state to be achieved, but rather the enablement of processes that continuously and dynamically change the city, improving quality of life by providing different benefits and amenities. The key enablers to develop an ecosystem for a smarter city strategy involve Private-Public-Partnership models, the direct involvement of citizens, the availability of data infrastructures, and social interaction platforms.