Smart Sustainable Cities and the Urban Knowledge-Based Economy: A NUTS3 Level Analysis

This paper aims to answer two research questions: (1) Is the smart sustainable city (SSC) environment a stimulus for the urban knowledge-based economy?; and (2) Which SSC domains are more conducive to stimulating the urban knowledge-based economy? To answer these questions, this study develops a framework and multidimensional indexes to better explain the different domains of the SSC and their impact on the knowledge-based economy. The analysis was performed on a sample of 116 Italian cities. Italy was chosen because smart city policies are diffused nationwide and Italian urban development is very differentiated (large and small cities; northern and southern cities). The results confirm that the knowledge-based economy at city level is positively correlated to the creation of a urban smart sustainable environment. Moreover, sustainable social services and sustainable local transport are considered the most relevant components of SSC. Our study contributes significantly to the literature by providing a new approach to understanding the factors influencing the creation of an SSC and identifying which SSC domains are important for the development of urban-level economic growth, suitable not only. Its findings, therefore, have implications for academics and urban policy makers, especially for the valorisation of smaller cities.