Design of Integrated Analytical Process Framework for Smart City Transformation based on StrengthsWeaknesses-Opportunities-Threats Analysis

Abstract

The population growth, urbanization and environmental challenges especially in urban cites are pushing urban infrastructures to sustain the resources with smartness. Developing an intelligent and sustainable city is the way forward. The concept of making city ‘smart’ is evolving as a strategy to manage urban infrastructure and ease the urbanization challenges. Smart City (SC) transformation is a strategic process, which requires novelty in approach, planning, operations, networking and management of urban enterprises. In this paper, we have proposed three strategic phases of SC transformation process; i) SC vision and status assessment, ii) SC transformational initiatives and iii) SC development and implementation. The execution of every phase towards SC transformation is linked with each other and is impacted by multi-criteria factors which must be identified. To strategize the SC transformation scenario, this work attempts to identify such factors for every phase of SC transformation on the basis of four dimensional strategic elements and decision making matrix known as Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis. Using four elements of SWOT model, 22 factors of significant importance have been identified. To analytically evaluate the dependency, independency and significant impacts among the identified SWOT factors, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) have been used and four alternative strategies are developed. Finally, integrative framework is proposed to strategize the alternatives for SC transformation process.