Rapid urbanization and intensifying climate extremes are increasing pressure on conventional urban drainage systems, accelerating interest in digital transformation. Yet how such transformation unfolds in practice, particularly in medium-sized cities, remains poorly understood. Using Lianyungang City, China, as an illustrative case, this study examines stakeholder perceptions of the socio-technical conditions associated with its digital drainage transformation. Drawing on a structured questionnaire survey of drainage professionals, the analysis assesses stakeholder perceptions of system performance, awareness and expectations of digital technologies, governance readiness, and stage-specific barriers. The results reveal strong support for digitalization but persistent constraints. At the initiation stage, progress is limited by aging infrastructure, shortages of interdisciplinary expertise, and financial constraints. During implementation, socio-technical misalignment, legacy-system incompatibility, fragmented data governance, and weak operation and maintenance capacity dominate. Governance limitations are a perceived limiting factor on scaling digital initiatives, while transparency and public participation remain underprioritized. The study advances a capacity-oriented understanding of digital drainage transformation and offers policy insights for medium-sized cities.
Digitalization, as one of the principal drivers of transformation in planning systems, has increasingly reshaped the structures, processes, and instruments of urban and rural planning. This article aims to elucidate the role and impacts of digitalization on spatial planning by examining how modern information and communication technologies, big data, geographic information systems, and smart platforms influence the enhancement of strategic spatial management and the strengthening of territorial governance. The research adopts a descriptive–analytical method and investigates the various dimensions of this transformation through documentary studies and conceptual analysis. The findings indicate that digitalization, while increasing accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in spatial decision-making, also enables broader stakeholder participation and improves coordination among different levels of governance. Furthermore, this process contributes to the reinforcement of future-oriented and data-driven approaches in strategic spatial management and provides the foundations for integrated and intelligent territorial governance. Nevertheless, challenges such as the digital divide, institutional issues, and infrastructural limitations may hinder the full utilization of existing capacities. Ultimately, the article emphasizes the necessity of redefining policy-making frameworks, developing digital infrastructures, and enhancing technological literacy in order to achieve intelligent spatial planning.
Kianoosh Jahanbakhsh· Journal of Historical Resear...· 0 citations
Rapid urbanization, climate change and increasing pressure on urban resources have strengthened the need for integrated models of sustainable urban development. The article examines the eco-city as a multidimensional framework combining environmental protection, economic viability, social inclusion and digital governance. On the basis of a comparative narrative review, the study systematizes the theoretical foundations of eco-city development and summarizes international practices from Masdar, Reykjavik, Melbourne, Singapore, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Utrecht, Helsinki, Barcelona, Bilbao, Pittsburgh and Boston. The results show that eco-city practice depends on renewable energy, low-emission mobility, resource-efficient infrastructure, smart monitoring, circular economy instruments and participatory urban governance. The article argues that eco-cities should be treated not as fixed models but as adaptive socio-ecological and technological systems whose effectiveness depends on institutional coordination, long-term investment and context-sensitive planning.
Руслана Луців· International Humanitarian U...· 0 citations
Institutional, legal and technological barriers continue to undermine urban land records management and governance in Sub-Saharan Africa, threatening tenure security and spatial planning capacity. The study examines these constraints in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, a fast-growing secondary city which is largely underrepresented in urban land governance literature. Drawing on the Land Management Paradigm (Enemark, 2005) and the Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration (FFP-LA) model (Enemark et al., 2014), the study adopts a desk-based conceptual synthesis approach grounded in legislative instruments, policy documents, institutional diagnostics, and peer-reviewed literature. The findings suggest that institutional fragmentation, ambiguities within the Land Use Act 1978, and the absence of an integrated spatial digital infrastructure collectively reinforce systemic governance deficiencies in urban land administration. To address these challenges, the study develops and applies the Tripartite Diagnostic Framework for Urban Land Governance (TDF-ULG), comprising twelve institutional, legal and technological indicators for assessing urban land governance performance. Application of the framework indicates Low or Very Low performance across all assessed dimensions in Akure. A limitation of the study is that the desk-based methodology relies exclusively on secondary data and therefore requires future primary fieldwork validation. The study provides a replicable diagnostic tool to guide land governance reform and GIS-based land information system development in secondary cities across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. The study represents one of the first systematic analyses of urban land governance barriers in Akure and proposes TDF-ULG, a diagnostic instrument which combines the two theoretical models of secondary city contexts.
V. O. Ige, M. A. Olukola jo, O. O. Popoola et al.· African Journal of Environme...· 0 citations
This paper examines governance, institutional fragmentation, and financing constraints affecting sustainable and resilient urban development in the Lebanese cities of Saida, Tripoli, and Byblos. Using a qualitative comparative case-study approach, the research analyzes land use planning systems, cultural heritage governance, and national and local strategies, including the SDATL, CHUD, and the 100 Resilient Cities initiative. Findings reveal that weak regulatory enforcement, fragmented national–local coordination, and donor-driven project cycles hinder the translation of strategic frameworks into tangible urban outcomes. Recent shocks, such as wildfires and the Beirut Blast, further expose gaps in disaster risk reduction and preparedness, which are often addressed through temporary donor or NGO interventions rather than institutional mechanisms. The study argues that advancing sustainable urban development in Lebanon requires strengthened coordination frameworks, outcome-based financing models, and enhanced municipal empowerment to address longstanding structural urban vulnerabilities.
Khalil Christelle, Diab Youssef· Proceedings of the internati...· 0 citations
Unprecedented urbanization in China has placed increasing pressure on urban governance, infrastructure, resource use, and environmental sustainability. In response, smart city development has been elevated to a national strategy aimed at strengthening urban resilience and ensuring sustainable growth. This study examines China’s smart city trajectory through a four-dimensional framework: national policy design, digital economy evolution, application scenarios, and implementation challenges, drawing on official policy documents and statistical data. The findings show that China’s smart city model is driven by a top-down, multi-level governance system combining central coordination with local implementation. A diverse ecosystem has emerged, led by government actors and supported by state-owned and private enterprises, research institutions, and the public. The expansion of the digital economy is closely linked to early policy experimentation in Special Economic Zones, direct-administered municipalities, and coastal cities, forming a “point-to-area” diffusion pattern. However, key challenges remain, including gaps in top-level design, data fragmentation, weak coordination mechanisms, and unresolved issues of data ethics and cybersecurity. By comparing China’s experience with international practices, the study highlights governance dynamics, institutional foundations, and trade-offs shaping scalable smart city development.
Jiaxiu Li· Ekonomichna ta Sotsialna Geo...· 0 citations
Urban governance relies on data for planning and delivering projects-but data systems are not considered fundamental infrastructure. This paper argues that understanding data as infrastructure is useful in understanding persistent integration challenges in Nigerian cities. Drawing upon comparative qualitative analysis of Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, analyses the influences of institutional arrangement and technical as well as civic practices on urban data systems. Findings reveal that fragmented platforms, poor data stewardship and limited community generated information limit the coordination and learning across all three cities in different ways. Lagos embodies digital ambition but poor interoperability, Abuja exhibits technical coherence but poor public engagement, Port Harcourt reflects extractive political economies and governance capacity deficits rooted in extractive political economies that produce critical informational blind spots. The paper concludes that treating data as shared civic infrastructure will accelerate adaptive urban governance with broader implications for rapidly urbanizing cities with similar institutional conditions.
Udodirim Lynda Attudume, Clara Mesoma Nonyelum, John Cherechim Nwaigbo et al.· Public Works Management &...· 0 citations