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Scientific Article details

Title Profiling Citizens in the Smart City: A Quantitative Study in Wallonia
ID_Doc 45315
Authors Schelings, C; Defays, A; Elsen, C
Title Profiling Citizens in the Smart City: A Quantitative Study in Wallonia
Year 2023
Published Smart Cities, 6, 4
DOI 10.3390/smartcities6040098
Abstract Based on the assumption that citizens can participate in smart city development, this paper aims to capture the diversity of their profiles and their positioning towards smart city dynamics. The article starts with a literature review of some models of citizens to better understand how they could be portrayed in the smart city era. Considering that there is no "general citizen" and that usual typologies remain restrictive, we construct tailor-made personas, i.e., fictitious profiles based on real data. To this end, we present the results of a large-scale survey distributed to highly educated Walloon people in the framework of a general public exhibition. The profiling focuses on three aspects: (1) perception of smart city dimensions, (2) intended behavior regarding smart city solutions, and (3) favorite participatory methods. The collected answers were first analyzed with descriptive and nonparametric statistics, then classified with a k-means cluster analysis. The main results are five personas, which highlight the coexistence of different citizen groups that think and behave in a specific way. This process of profiling citizens' priorities, behaviors, and participatory preferences can help professional designers and local governments to consider various citizens' perspectives in the design of future smart solutions and participatory processes.
Author Keywords smart city; citizen profiling; survey; persona; cluster analysis
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
EID WOS:001054237400001
WoS Category Engineering, Electrical & Electronic; Urban Studies
Research Area Engineering; Urban Studies
PDF https://www.mdpi.com/2624-6511/6/4/98/pdf?version=1692361584
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