Smart Cities in comparative perspective: Theories, Policies, Practices and Futures
Guest Editors
Yuchen Guo (Tongji University & Heidelberg University)
Karsten Zimmermann (TU Dortmund University)
Ze Zhang (Tongji University)
Aims and Scope
The development and implementation of smart city initiatives across global contexts have revealed both stark contrasts and evolving interconnections between regions, particularly between China and Europe (Riva Sanseverino et al., 2018). These divergences are shaped by differing political systems, governance models, socio-technical priorities, and deeply rooted cultural values (Pereira et al., 2018). In China, smart city agendas have often been characterized by top-down, state-led strategies that prioritize technological integration, surveillance, and large-scale infrastructural transformation (Huang et al., 2021). In contrast, many European models emphasize participatory governance, data transparency, and citizen-centric approaches that align with democratic norms and local autonomy (Halegoua, 2020).
However, despite these apparent dichotomies, policy discourses and practical implementations frequently reflect a complex interplay between these models. Instances of mutual learning, adaptation, and cross-fertilization are increasingly common. For example, European cities may adopt aspects of centralized coordination to enhance efficiency, while Chinese cities increasingly experiment with localized, pilot-driven approaches and civic engagement mechanisms. These processes often result in hybrid forms of smart urbanism that do not conform neatly to the East–West binary, but rather evolve through iterative negotiation, contextual adaptation, and sometimes contradictory imperatives (Neri, 2014). Using Digital Participatory Platforms in community renewal and evidence-based planning is also coming to the forefront of smart city policy and practice (Falco & Kleinhans, 2019; Guo & Zhang, 2024).
Empirical evidence from diverse urban contexts reveals that these hybrid approaches are not anomalies, but rather symptomatic of a broader global trend in the evolution of smart city practices. They challenge established narratives and raise important questions about the translation of technologies across cultural and institutional boundaries, the reconfiguration of power relations in urban governance, and the role of global knowledge networks in shaping urban futures.
This special issue invites critical, interdisciplinary, and comparative contributions that interrogate the fluid and contested dynamics of smart city urbanism. We seek to understand how smart city frameworks are appropriated, resisted, or transformed across different urban settings. Contributions may explore, among other themes, how smart technologies reshape urban governance structures, reconfigure spatial practices, mediate public participation, and reproduce or challenge existing social and political inequalities.
We invite contributions that bridge empirical granularity and theoretical innovation, fostering transcontinental dialogue on post-technocratic futures for planning practice.
Key research gaps and themes
Submissions may address one or more of the following dimensions:
Policy, Mobility, and Planning Practice
- Scaling challenges: from pilots to systemic urban transitions
- Big data in mobility, energy, and spatial behavior analysis
- Policy transfer: lessons from Chinese–European city comparisons
- Techno-policy assemblages: technologies reshaping planning tools (e.g., AI zoning, predictive policing)
Governance: State–Market–Society Interactions
- Institutional adaptations to disruptive technologies
- Political economy of standards: how code and data embed power relations
- Epistemic authority: expertise vs. citizen knowledge vs. bureaucratic discretion
- Contested epistemologies: indigenous/local knowledge in counter-smart urbanism
Submission Process
- Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 November 2025
Please submit a 500-word proposal, including 5 keywords, to both of the following email addresses:
Clearly state the research question, methodology, and alignment with the special issue themes.
Include author names, affiliations, and contact information.
- Abstract decision deadline: 30 November 2025
- Full Paper Submission Deadline: 28 February 2026
Manuscripts must be original, unpublished works of 7000-8000 words including references
Follow IJPP formatting guidelines: https://ijpp.dicam.unitn.it/submissions
- Peer Review Notification: We aim to provide peer review feedback within 4 weeks from submission.
Double-blind review process conducted by international experts.
- Final Manuscript Due: 31 May 2026
Revised papers incorporating reviewer feedback.
Contact: All inquiries regarding this special issue should be sent to zhangze@tongji.edu.cn
References：
- Falco, E., & Kleinhans, R. (2019). Digital participatory platforms for co-production in urban development: A systematic review. Crowdsourcing: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications, 663-690. DOI:10.4018/IJEPR.2018070105
- Guo, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2024). Reducing carbon emissions through green renewal: insights from residential energy consumption in Chinese urban inventory districts from an evidence-based decision-making perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02417-z
- Halegoua, G. (2020). Smart cities. MIT press.
- Huang, K., Luo, W., Zhang, W., & Li, J. (2021). Characteristics and Problems of Smart City Development in China. Smart Cities, 4(4), 1403-1419. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4040074
- Kleinhans, R., Falco, E., & Babelon, I. (2022). Conditions for networked co-production through digital participatory platforms in urban planning. European Planning Studies, 30(4), 769-788. DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2021.1998387
- Neri, A. R. (2014). Processes of Urban and Rural Development: a Comparative Analysis of Europe and China. Italian Journal of Planning Practice, 4(1), 51-77. https://doaj.org/article/5f9ce17e91bc421fb1e09eaa871d58d9
- Pereira, G. V., Parycek, P., Falco, E., & Kleinhans, R. (2018). Smart governance in the context of smart cities: A literature review. Information Polity, 23(2), 143-162. https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-170067 (Original work published 2018.
- Riva Sanseverino, E., Riva Sanseverino, R., & Anello, E. (2018). A cross-reading approach to smart city: A european perspective of chinese smart cities. Smart Cities, 1(1), 26-52. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities101000.
- Shao J, Min B. Sustainable development strategies for Smart Cities: Review and development framework[J]. Cities, 2025, 158: 105663.