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Systems
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Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities
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Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 3259

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kamran Soomro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Computer Science Research Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Interests: data visualisation; deep learning; generative AI; big data analytics
Prof. Dr. Diego López-de-Ipiña

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DeustoTech, University of Deusto, Avenue Universidades 24, 48007 Bilbao, Spain
Interests: pervasive computing; Internet of Things; semantic service middleware; open linked data; social data mining and mobile-mediated; tangible human–environment interaction applied to address societal challenges
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the rapidly evolving landscape of urban development, the symbiosis of technology and governance has become a defining feature of the modern city. Smart cities, characterized by the integration of digital technologies to optimize urban services, have emerged as crucibles of innovation. The aims of this Special Issue are to illuminate the myriad of ways in which digital innovations are reshaping urban governance paradigms and comprehensively explore the multifaceted landscape of "Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities," encompassing diverse facets of technological interventions that impact urban governance positively. From harnessing the power of data analytics for informed decision making to deploying citizen-centric platforms for active participation, the contributions in this Special Issue will span a spectrum of interdisciplinary approaches. As cities worldwide embrace the ethos of smart urbanism, this collection of articles promises to unravel the transformative potential inherent in the intersection of digital solutions and participatory governance.

We extend a warm invitation to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to submit their innovative research, case studies, and perspectives that contribute to our understanding of the evolving landscape of participatory governance in smart cities. This Special Issue endeavours to serve as a comprehensive repository of cutting-edge insights, fostering a robust and inclusive dialogue on the convergence of digital solutions and governance in the urban context. The contributions in this Special Issue span a spectrum of interdisciplinary approaches.

  1. Data-driven governance: Uncover the intricate ways in which data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things contribute to more effective, responsive, and equitable urban governance structures.
  2. Co-governance through citizen engagement platforms: Explore the design, implementation, and impact of digital platforms that empower citizens to actively co-participate in decision-making processes, fostering a sense of inclusivity, transparency, and social cohesion.
  3. Urban mobility solutions: Investigate how digital technologies are redefining transportation systems, contributing to sustainable and efficient urban mobility. Examine the implications for participatory governance in shaping accessible and citizen-centric transport policies.
  4. Environmental sustainability: Delve into the role of digital solutions in promoting environmental sustainability within smart cities. Explore how technologies can be leveraged to monitor, enact citizens’ behavioural change, and mitigate environmental impact while involving citizens in sustainable practices.
  5. Health and well-being: Explore the intersection of digital health technologies and participatory governance. Analyse initiatives that utilize technology to enhance public health, facilitate healthcare access, and engage citizens in fostering community well-being.
  6. Crisis Management and resilience: Examine the role of digital solutions in enhancing urban resilience and crisis management. Assess how smart city technologies can contribute to effective responses during emergencies and engage citizens in community resilience efforts.
  7. Digital inclusion and equity: Investigate the challenges and opportunities related to digital inclusion in smart cities. Analyse strategies and technologies that promote equity, ensuring that the benefits of digital solutions are accessible to all segments of the urban population.
  8. Cybersecurity and ethical considerations: Address the critical issues associated with the integration of digital solutions in governance, with a focus on safeguarding privacy, ensuring cybersecurity, and upholding ethical standards in the smart city context.

Dr. Kamran Soomro
Prof. Dr. Diego López-de-Ipiña
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart cities
  • participatory governance
  • data analytics
  • smart governance
  • smart mobility
  • big data analytics
  • data-driven governance
  • digital technologies and innovations in smart cities

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 340 KiB  
Article
How Do Researchers and Public Officials Co-Navigate e-Participation Implementation? An Action-Research Experience with South African Municipalities
by Odilile Ayodele, Paul Plantinga, Diana Sanchez-Bentacourt, Simangele Dlamini and Nonkululeko Dlamini
Systems 2025, 13(2), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13020125 - 17 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 433
Abstract
How can local governments in the Global South effectively implement and sustain digital public participation initiatives, and what specific roles do public officials and knowledge intermediaries play in catalysing and supporting this digital transformation? In this paper, we respond to this query by [...] Read more.
How can local governments in the Global South effectively implement and sustain digital public participation initiatives, and what specific roles do public officials and knowledge intermediaries play in catalysing and supporting this digital transformation? In this paper, we respond to this query by examining our experiences as researchers in implementing an ongoing multi-year applied research project on e-participation and policy modelling in various South African municipalities. The project and the country’s ongoing public participation initiatives align with government policy emphasising citizen-centric public service delivery through consultation, transparency, and accountability. We aim to highlight the practical aspects of introducing e-participation mechanisms in local governance structures with different human and material resource capacity levels, which is the case in Global South contexts. Our central question is as follows: How can public officials, working alongside researchers and knowledge intermediaries, navigate the sustainable adoption of e-participation through participatory design, system awareness, and bricolage? We explore this question from the perspective of researchers leading the implementation of a multi-year, participatory action-research project which aims to pilot e-participation in six municipalities across South Africa. In the paper, we analyse the interplay of various socio-technical factors influencing the early stages of implementation and use of e-participation tools in local government. Our findings highlight the importance of building socio-technical agency of front-line public participation officials, exploring malleable technologies that are flexible to adaptation, facilitating peer-learning amongst officials on what works in similar contexts, and having a system view within and across pilots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities)
24 pages, 6895 KiB  
Article
Panoramic Video Synopsis on Constrained Devices for Security Surveillance
by Palash Yuvraj Ingle and Young-Gab Kim
Systems 2025, 13(2), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13020110 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 618
Abstract
As the global demand for surveillance cameras increases, the digital footage data also explicitly increases. Analyzing and extracting meaningful content from footage is a resource-depleting and laborious effort. The traditional video synopsis technique is used for constructing a small video by relocating the [...] Read more.
As the global demand for surveillance cameras increases, the digital footage data also explicitly increases. Analyzing and extracting meaningful content from footage is a resource-depleting and laborious effort. The traditional video synopsis technique is used for constructing a small video by relocating the object in the time and space domains. However, it is computationally expensive, and the obtained synopsis suffers from jitter artifacts; thus, it cannot be hosted on a resource-constrained device. In this research, we propose a panoramic video synopsis framework to address and solve the problems of the efficient analysis of objects for better governance and storage. The surveillance system has multiple cameras sharing a common homography, which the proposed method leverages. The proposed method constructs a panorama by solving the broad viewpoints with significant deviations, collisions, and overlapping among the images. We embed a synopsis framework on the end device to reduce storage, networking, and computational costs. A neural network-based model stitches multiple camera feeds to obtain a panoramic structure from which only tubes with abnormal behavior were extracted and relocated in the space and time domains to construct a shorter video. Comparatively, the proposed model achieved a superior accuracy matching rate of 98.7% when stitching the images. The feature enhancement model also achieves better peak signal-to-noise ratio values, facilitating smooth synopsis construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities)
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29 pages, 635 KiB  
Article
Harnessing Digital Technologies for Rural Industrial Integration: A Pathway to Sustainable Growth
by Jingkun Zhang and Wang Zhang
Systems 2024, 12(12), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12120564 - 16 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Data have become a virtual factor of production, and when integrated with the traditional factors of labor, capital, and land form digital labor, digital capital, and digital land, thereby generating a multiplier effect that contributes to the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. This [...] Read more.
Data have become a virtual factor of production, and when integrated with the traditional factors of labor, capital, and land form digital labor, digital capital, and digital land, thereby generating a multiplier effect that contributes to the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. This paper utilizes panel data from 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China from 2013 to 2023 and employs a double machine learning model to empirically test the impact mechanism of rural digitalization on the integration of rural industries. The results indicate that digital villages significantly promote the integrated development of rural industries through three direct pathways—digital industry development, digital information infrastructure, and digital service levels—with this conclusion remaining valid after a series of robustness tests. A mechanism analysis shows that digital villages facilitate the integration of rural industries through three indirect pathways—alleviating urban–rural factor mismatches, adjusting the agricultural–industrial structure, and promoting agricultural technological advancement—with this conclusion still valid after various robustness tests. The heterogeneity results show that there is significant variability in how digital villages promote the development of integrated rural industries, with the effects being more pronounced in major grain-producing and eastern regions compared to non-major grain-producing and central-western regions. Based on this, this paper proposes policy recommendations focused on accelerating digital village construction, formulating differentiated strategies, and alleviating factor mismatches, aiming to provide references for achieving rural revitalization. We mainly propose countermeasures and suggestions from three aspects: digital dividend, differentiation strategy, and element mismatch. Our main purpose in writing this article is to make up for the shortcomings of existing theories, enrich the theoretical system of digital rural construction, contribute Chinese solutions for digital rural construction around the world, and improve the word’s level of digital rural construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Solutions for Participatory Governance in Smart Cities)
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