Critical Success Factors of the Smart City Transformation Process and the Role of Technology in the Smart City Approach - A Case Study of Munich, Germany

In an era of global climate change and fast growing cities, local governments are in an urgent need for adopting sustainable urban growth concepts for tackling a liveable and prosperous urban future. Against this background, the smart city notion progressively gained popularity as an urban development concept, which heavily relies on technology and urban data use for fostering sustainable urban growth. However, so far, the understanding of the smart city term is ambiguous, and little scientific research has been done on developing comprehensive conceptual frameworks to support local governments in the making of smarter cities. This paper aims at presenting the current state-of-the-art of smart city research in order to support the making of smart city best practices and to promote a comprehensive understanding of the smart city notion. In doing so, the role of technology in the making of smarter cities and critical success factors in transforming cities are elaborated, following the methodological approach of a multidimensional conceptual framework. The research findings and an expert interview with a representative of the state capital will then serve for the assessment of the weak points and best practices in the smart city pursuit of the German city Munich, providing urban policymaking with valuable insights and fostering the development of a comprehensive smart city conceptualism.