The 'Smart city' concept and its implementors: On the way to the information control in Volgograd Russia

The importance of implementing digital technologies and creating “smart cities” that limit social contacts without causing significant damage to urban management has become evident during the COVID-19 pandemic This research is based on results obtained from the inquiry of state and municipal servants of Volgograd region as the main implementors of the “smart city” concept This region occupies middle positions in different regional ratings, that is why it can be considered as typical, taking into account its characteristics The study is based on data gathered from processing enquiry results using the principle component method It is based on a cluster sampling method covering workers from different state and municipal departments Accordingly, the factors causing the current need for developing digital technologies in social management are determined The findings reveal contradiction in goals achieved within ‘smart city’ development It is concluded, by comparing our findings with earlier published data, that problems within the scope of improper city infrastructure and its improvement in social management transformation are common These are caused by the state and municipal workers’ limited competencies, namely insufficient digital skills, and the ‘passive publicity’ of the population Therefore, the scope of functions of state and municipal servants must be changed to facilitate the transition to a ‘smart city’ © 2021