Air quality in smart sustainable cities: target and/or trigger?

Identifier:  imarina:9232230

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9232230

Authors:  Manjon, Miguel; Crutzen, Nathalie

Abstract:
Urban areas all over the world are looking to become Smart Sustainable Cities (SSCs), i.e. sustainable urban environments that extensively use ICT and related technologies. However, little is known about the effectiveness of SSC initiatives in terms of sustainable outcomes and/or the factors driving such initiatives. This paper provides empirical evidence on the role of air quality as target of and trigger for SSC initiatives in Wallonian municipalities. Results from regression analyses indicate that, for those municipalities with a higher scope to achieve emissions reductions (low levels of past air quality) and a strong commitment in their smart city initiatives (level of implementation and orientation), SSCs are acting as a successful transnational local initiative for sustainability. They also support the view that sustainability is a major driver of the SSCs, since a better quality of air positively affects the probability that a municipality engages in sustainability-oriented (but also digitally-oriented) smart city initiatives.