Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD student, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Art, Gilan University, Rasht, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Art, Gilan University, Rasht, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Gilan University, Rasht, Iran.
Abstract
In technology-driven urban governance systems, many cities encounter complex and unpredictable challenges from the early stages of adoption to implementation and evaluation stages. Accordingly, given the uniqueness of each context, a coherent understanding of the relationship between contextual and strategic challenges within the context of Rasht city is still lacking. Therefore, a proper understanding and clarification of the interrelationships among these challenges can serve as a prerequisite for the successful operationalization of a smart city. In this regard, the present study analyzes the challenges of smart city realization in Rasht from the perspective of key actors and explains how contextual and strategic challenges are generated and interact with each other. The research adopts a qualitative approach through a systematic literature review, content analysis and classification, as well as validation of findings obtained from a questionnaire using descriptive statistics. Accordingly, the perspectives of 14 experts and 10 specialists were examined through an open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire.The findings indicate that the most significant challenge of innovation governance in the smart city realization process in Rasht is not the lack of technology, but rather the misalignment between contextual and strategic challenges. Moreover, the innovation of this research lies in the integration and redefinition of the six-helix model across different dimensions of contextual inputs, the development of a conceptual model explaining the formation and interaction of challenges within the two clusters, and the identification of the perceptual gap between the two groups of stakeholders.Ultimately, by developing a context-based conceptual model for Rasht city, this study demonstrates that strategic challenges are reflections of contextual weaknesses and that these challenges operate as an interconnected network through mutual interactions. Furthermore, experts and specialists, through complementary perspectives, can incorporate two levels of strategic and operational knowledge into the governance process. In this regard, participatory mechanisms can reduce the gap between the two perspectives and serve as a connecting link between them.
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