Smart Cities in practice. A comparative case study between Warsaw, Gdynia, Copenhagen and Malmö. A public actor’s perspective with a secondary focus on collaboration and digitization

Abstract: The purpose of this dissertation was to examine what Smart City concept entails in practice rather than a theory, with a clear secondary focus on digitization and collaboration as the means to deliver successful Smart City projects. This project sheds light on the public actor’s managerial perspective on many actual topics for the globalized world, where cities play a pivotal role. By interviewing deputy-mayors of the cities, strategists and project leaders, the author gives the opportunity to look at Smart City concept from a practical, rather than theoretical standpoint. The author also researched the importance of context for multiplying Smart City projects in different settings. The public actor’s perspective was based on the collected empirically-driven material from four different cities, located in three European countries: Warsaw, Gdynia, Copenhagen, and Malmö. The case study analysis with extensive empirical data, led the author to undermine the fully techno-centric vision of Smart Cities, that is most apparent in the theoretical discourse, in order to focus on a more holistic approach, where the different Smart City aspects are complementary to each other and most importantly, the citizens and their needs are treated as a priority. Hence, bringing the best possible service for inhabitants and being engaged in their growing expectations constitute a Smart City. To bring this best possible service and improve efficiency, cities should be proactive about the current pace of technological change, collaborate with different non-governmental parties and apply ICT and novel solutions. In line with the secondary objectives of this thesis, it was established that cross-sector collaboration and digitization are the means to deliver successful Smart City projects. Thanks to cross-sector collaboration and digitization, Smart City solutions result as more sustainable and better adjusted to citizens’ needs. The partnerships cities create become most beneficial, when they involve not only municipalities and private companies but also NGOs, research institutions as well as different civic organizations. This appears to be the modernized approach of managing change and uncertainty while handling innovation-based projects, in comparison to traditional principal-agent based governing schemes. The innovation-based projects, like Smart City projects, also require collaborations that are deeply based on trust, establishing mutual goals and openness between the municipalities and different sectors. Simultaneously, digital technologies and ICT reshape the way cities work, the way they cooperate with different stakeholders and communicate both internally and externally. Thus, cross-sector collaboration and digitization are the key factors to deliver successful Smart City projects. This dissertation can raise awareness and serve as an inspiration for private companies, municipalities and nongovernmental organizations on what can be examples of how to handle innovation-based projects, how the researched cities perceive collaboration with external parties and operate for their citizens.