Urban Governance最新文献

{"title":"Identification of factors influencing the realization of good urban governance in the city of Isfahan using a futures studies approach","authors":"Reza Mokhtari Malekabadi ,&nbsp;Majid Goodarzi ,&nbsp;Fahime Fadaei Jazi","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Considering the rapid growth of cities and the inability of urban management systems to address complex challenges, good urban governance has emerged as a comprehensive strategy to enhance efficiency and quality of life for urban residents. The need for transparent, accountable, and participatory governance in Iranian cities, particularly in Isfahan, is evident. The current study aims to identify the factors influencing the future realization of good urban governance in Isfahan. The study employs both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A list of factors contributing to the realization of good urban governance in Isfahan was compiled using a Delphi questionnaire survey conducted among 30 experts. Subsequently, the variables were analyzed using the cross-impact analysis model in the MICMAC software. The results indicate that the mental and mindset transformation of municipal managers, disorder and lack of collaboration among governmental and state sectors, the absence of appropriate and up-to-date perspectives in urban management, a lack of synergy in financial, investment, and management domains, deficiencies in the authority of the City Council to formulate necessary legislation for city governance, inadequate proportions and uncoordinated communication among the governor, district governor, and city mayor, interventions and non-technical mandates imposed by the Ministry of the Interior and the Municipalities Organization within the administrative structure, shifting priorities of the municipality with changes in management, failure to transcend partisanship in urban management, and the underutilization of the full capacities of the city are among the most crucial factors affecting the future realization of good urban governance in Isfahan.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 121-131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing data sovereignty to improve intelligent mobility services in smart cities","authors":"Bokolo Anthony Jnr ,&nbsp;Sizarta Sarshar","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smart cities aim to provide more digitalized, equitable, sustainable, and liveable cities. In smart cities data evolves as an important asset and citizens data in particular is being used to provide data-driven mobility services. Likewise, in smart cities data is produced and used by individuals having no ownership or control over these data thus affecting their security and privacy. Also, actors such as mobility service providers, companies, third parties, etc. often leverage individuals’ data without regarding users’ autonomy. Accordingly, data sovereignty which entails the possibility to govern and keep control over owned data is gaining widespread attention. As a result, stakeholders in the mobility sector need to share data whilst keeping control to manage data access and usage. Although, existing initiatives are promoting sovereign participation using a federated infrastructure. However, achieving an effective governance usage control and access mechanisms can be challenging especially in the transportation sector. It is thus imperative for individuals to have control, ownership, and custody over their data. This has necessitated the notions of data sovereignty. Therefore, this article employs a systematic review to examine how data sovereignty can be achieved for individuals when they use urban mobility services in smart cities by enabling the secure sharing of data by giving control of data over to individuals. Additionally, this article designs a data control scheme that can be applied to realize data sovereign mobility services. Evidence from this study provides technical and non-technical requirements needed in realizing data sovereignty in smart cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 20-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cybersecurity in local governments: A systematic review and framework of key challenges","authors":"Sk Tahsin Hossain ,&nbsp;Tan Yigitcanlar ,&nbsp;Kien Nguyen ,&nbsp;Yue Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cybersecurity has emerged as a critical concern in modern urban governance, as local governments now extend their responsibilities beyond traditional infrastructure management to safeguard digital systems and citizen data in increasingly digitised smart city environments. Despite the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, there is a concerning gap—i.e., local governments often exhibit a cybersecurity posture that is inadequately prepared to counter the rising cyber threats. This discrepancy underscores the urgency for a comprehensive understanding of the challenges restricting effective cybersecurity in local governmental settings. This paper aims to elucidate these challenges of local governments in a structured framework utilising a systematic literature review method named the PRISMA protocol. The findings reveal that the stakes are high when it comes to cybersecurity for local governments, with the key challenges being financial resource constraints, technological vulnerabilities, human factors, and the regulatory framework. This study recommends improving interdepartmental coordination, adopting relevant policies, and executing targeted cybersecurity training to address these challenges. The study also highlights unconventional approaches to mitigate financial and skill resource limitations, including the utilisation of open-source security tools, outsourcing specific cybersecurity functions, and establishing collaborations with local cybersecurity agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector to obtain expertise and advanced resources. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the critical cybersecurity challenges faced by local governments and provides specific recommendations, equipping urban policymakers, administrators, and researchers with valuable guidance to enhance cybersecurity resilience within this critical yet understudied research domain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why do smart city projects fail to create impact? Understanding decision-making in smart city policy implementation","authors":"Devika Prakash","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smart city projects have been rolled out in various parts of the world, often promising radical urban transformations driven by cutting edge technologies. However, several studies on smart city implementation have noted how these iconic and technology intensive projects have often failed to create the impact they promise. Extending upon emerging scholarship on decision-making in smart city implementation, I use the framework of the garbage can model of organizational choice to unpack key decisions taken around smart city implementation in the city of Kochi in India and the tensions surrounding its flagship integrated command and control centre (ICCC). The case study reveals that the smart city arrives as a top-down directive from the central government where the existing problems of the city are reconfigured to fit nationally envisioned smart city agendas. The implementation of smart city projects is bound up with political tensions between existing local and state organisations and often disrupted by election-cycles and the shuffling of government bureaucrats at the helm of the smart city organisation. The ICCC arrives in Kochi as a solution-looking-for-a-problem as a mandate from the central government. Over time, the increasing distance between the smart city projects and the existing local authorities results in limited integration of the ICCC with urban governance in Kochi. The study shows how smart city projects are embroiled in organizational path dependency and political controversies contrary to the apolitical and rational technical fixes promised in smart city vision documents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 45-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring big data applications in sustainable urban infrastructure: A review","authors":"David Victor Ogunkan ,&nbsp;Stella Kehinde Ogunkan","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As urbanization accelerates globally, cities face unprecedented challenges related to infrastructure management, resource efficiency, and sustainability. To address these issues, many cities are increasingly integrating big data into their infrastructure systems, particularly within the context of smart cities. This study provides a comprehensive review of how big data is utilized to promote sustainable urban infrastructure, focusing on five key areas: energy management, transportation systems, water resources, waste management, and green infrastructure. The analysis draws on successful case studies from cities such as Barcelona, Singapore, Amsterdam, and New York, exploring how these urban centers leverage big data to optimize infrastructure systems and improve environmental and social outcomes. Additionally, this review identifies the challenges cities face when integrating big data into their planning processes, including data privacy concerns, technical expertise gaps, and the high costs of infrastructure upgrades. The findings suggest that big data plays a transformative role in enhancing urban resilience, reducing environmental impact, and fostering long-term sustainability. The study concludes by highlighting future research opportunities, particularly the potential of AI and advanced analytics in further optimizing smart city infrastructure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 54-68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The future of EPCs: Data, policy, and public perception in the race for energy efficiency","authors":"Aitziber Mugarra ,&nbsp;Cruz Borges ,&nbsp;Leandro Ferrón ,&nbsp;Oxana Soimu","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amidst the pressing concern about climate change, the construction sector has been identified as one of the main energy consumers in Europe, which also positions it as one of the sectors with the greatest potential for efficiency improvements. In response to this, the European Union established the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system, with the aim of boosting transparency and encouraging sustainable renovations. However, the results have not been as expected. Some of the causes of this are poor data quality, limited public awareness and inadequate legislation, which together undermine trust in the certification process. In addition, concerns about the possible exclusion of low-income households have sparked debates about the financial burdens and possible rent increases following energy efficiency improvements. This article presents insights from a qualitative study of various stakeholders, including public agencies, technical experts and real estate professionals, examining prevailing perceptions of EPC design, implementation and utility. Key findings reveal that mandatory policies drive adoption, but administrative complexities and inconsistent metrics erode public trust. Furthermore, the gap between specialist and non-specialist audiences prevents the certificate from playing a role in motivating behaviour change. The new version of the European Commission's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduces standardised templates and databases. Added to this, stakeholder feedback highlights the need for public education, accurate energy data and tailored financial mechanisms. This study concludes that to refine EPC policies, integrated and holistic frameworks are needed that address socio-economic risks, foster equity and accelerate Europe's transition to low-carbon housing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 32-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cities and sustainability: Exploring contributions, opportunities and challenges of smart city implementation towards social sustainability","authors":"Dhiyathad Prateeppornnarong","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The past few decades have witnessed the smart city concept's worldwide popularity as the way forward for struggling with urban issues and challenges, bringing about sustainability of cities. Smart city implementation, however, has been researched chiefly within the context of major cities where the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and connectivity is readily available and reliable. In contrast, little was known of smart city implementation in many other fast-growing secondary cities. Drawing from the concept of social sustainability, this research seeks to explore contributions, opportunities and challenges of smart city implementation towards social sustainability of secondary cities in developing countries, using Udon Thani – a fast-growing secondary city of upper northeastern Thailand – as a research context. Grounded in 42 in-depth interviews, the findings show that smart city implementation contributes to social sustainability of Udon Thani in terms of enhancing the safety of the public, the provision of public services and offering opportunities for building a better urban society. Nevertheless, low public awareness of smart city development, inadequate collaboration between different sectors in the locality, and a lack of a smart city plan are posing significant challenges to smart city implementation, reflecting that the development of a smart city project in Udon Thani is not based on a holistic approach; hence, the implementation of the project is decidedly patchy. This research argues that the achievement of smart city implementation relies upon a holistic and multidimensional approach, taking into account integrated urban planning, cross-sector collaboration, marketing campaign strategies and the identification of context-specific instruments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 69-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multilevel governance in times of COVID-19 pandemic. Patterns of legitimacy and governance capacity","authors":"Jurian Edelenbos ,&nbsp;Jitske van Popering-Verkerk ,&nbsp;Mattijs Taanman ,&nbsp;Marijn Stouten","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2025.02.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing multilevel governance capacity is key to deal with crises in a legitimate and effective manner. But how does multilevel governance manifest in response to COVID-19 in the Netherlands? The study shows low to absent multilevel governance capacity, with strong central government authority and limited regional governance. We found that multilevel governance only benefits an effective crises response if the regional level has three assets authority, capacity and legitimacy to vertically connect with decision-making processes in the upper tiers of government. This puts emphasis on developing vertical and horizontal relationships between various governmental levels and authorities in times of crises.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 94-102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urban progress index (UPI) development: A case-oriented comparative approach","authors":"Sahar Nedaei Tousi ,&nbsp;Hossein Yousefi ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hossein Boochani ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hasan Ghodusinejad ,&nbsp;Setareh Peirov","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the age of globalization, megacities, as the main centers of national wealth production, have become competing places to attract people and creative industries, earn more money and gain more market share. This requires them to redefine their competitive advantages and hence improve their international status. Accordingly, the city ranking approach by means of a composite index, is widely employed and attracts public attention to provide a barometer of how various aspects and parts of a city are unfolding and performing. In this regard, this research is dedicated to compiling an appropriate composite index for ranking and monitoring the progress of Tehran regions in an integrated, inclusive and agreed manner in accordance with the contextual conditions of urban development in Iran. Based on this, Tehran Urban Progress Index (TUPI) was defined and operationalized with 26 criteria and 176 indicators under six main components including “economic efficiency and competitiveness”, “urban environmental sustainability”, “viability, well-being and satisfaction”, “smartness, innovation, and entrepreneurship”, “interactions, interconnection and communication” and “urban governance”. It is concluded that urban innovation and entrepreneurship and then competitiveness and economic efficiency are the most effective factors in the progress of the city. Also, analyzing the spatial pattern of the progress index shows that the areas located in the northern zones of Tehran are in a better position compared to the southern zones. The suggested developed method used in this study can be applied to all other megacities regarding their unique criteria. Based on the results of this paper, some regulations and control policies are suggested for sustainable urban progress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 103-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Situating the compliance with land use regulations within the context of sustainable city development: Lessons from Ho Municipality of Ghana","authors":"Pearl Seyram Asamoah ,&nbsp;Stephen Appiah Takyi ,&nbsp;Stephen Biliyitorb Liwur ,&nbsp;Owusu Amponsah ,&nbsp;Sylvanus Narh Duamor","doi":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ugj.2024.12.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanizing in cities in the global south continues to reshape land use systems. Consequently, theuncontrolled rate of urbanization in cities such as Ho in Ghana, continues to threaten the sustainability of urban natural assets and agricultural lands. Although there are existing land use regulations and guidelines to guide and control development, the enforcement of these regulations continues to face major challenges. In light of this, this study evaluates the effectiveness of land use regulations in the Ho Municipality and its implications for sustainable city development. In this study, the researchers relied on both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected through interviews with representatives of institutions such as the Lands Commission, the Traditional Council, and the Ho Municipal Assembly. In terms secondary data, base maps of the study areas, Medium-Term Development Plans, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925) and the Zoning Guidelines and Planning Standards were reviewed, serving as tge framework for the assessment of the extent of compliance. Overall, the findings points to a complex combination of compliance and non-compliance with land use regulations. Whereas compliance with land use regulations and activities in the study areas tend to promote sustainability,non-compliance with these regulations on the other hand threatens urban sustainability. For example, in the Ho Poly Area, there was no evidence of encroachment of the buffer zones of overhead power lines and arterial roads. This indicates that there is compliance with land use regulations, and this has positive implications for the sustainability of the city. However, there were no provisions for urban green spaces in the neighbourhood plan, which raises concerns on the ecological and general sustainability of the city. On this backdrop, the researchers recommend stricter enforcement and the adoption of effective urban planning strategies such as institutional collaboration to achieve sustainable city development. Additionally, adopting emerging techniques such as big data, machine learning, and IoT for urban planning and management in these Ghanaian cities can enhance sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":101266,"journal":{"name":"Urban Governance","volume":"5 1","pages":"Pages 79-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}