How are smart cities perceived by project leaders and participants in an ongoing project: the challenge of evaluating smart cities

This study is part of an evaluation within an ongoing smart city project in Greater Copenhagen, called Ready for Smart Growth. The focus is on how smart cities are perceived among participants from four different courses in the project. Further, some of the challenges of evaluating smart city projects are described within. A questionnaire in paper format was distributed to all participants just after their participation in the four courses (n=71). The participants were employed within 22 different municipalities, and were project leaders, planners, coordinators, IT-experts or consultants. The participants' main perception of a smart city was within the smart economy, which incorporates technology and innovation to strengthen business development, employment and urban growth. The participants also perceived some individual positive effects within the smart city project. The 22 involved municipalities were very different in terms of size, populations, economies, and organizations, as well as the technical and contextual support of smart city solutions. Therefore, there seems to be room for improved knowledge sharing among the municipalities in the project. The huge differences also put an emphasis on the challenges of evaluating smart city projects, and there is a need for more in-depth qualitative approaches for understanding the more specific needs (goals, aims) and the contextual background of the municipalities.