Knowledge-Perception Bridge of Green-Smart Integration of Cities: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong

Chung-Shing Chan and Lawal M. Marafa
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Chung-Shing Chan: Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China
Lawal M. Marafa: Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Cities often thematize themselves as attractive and sustainable places by adopting some emerging concepts of urban development. Green city and smart city are two of these themes that contain distinctive but often overlapping attributes. These green and smart city attributes, as proposed in previous studies, are tested with a sample of Hong Kong residents ( n = 243). This paper identifies the factors in a combined green–smart theme of Hong Kong based on local perception. The empirical results confirm that local residents believe Hong Kong is performing smarter than greener. The findings from factor analysis reveal a combined green–smart structure consisting of one mixed green–smart infrastructural elements and six other specific factors about greenness or smartness. Regression also builds up two models showing the locally-perceived determinants of a successful green city and smart city for Hong Kong, respectively. This study reflects a complexity–simplicity paradox of how decision makers should respond to a knowledge–perception gap. The result further confirms that human factor, including the engagement and the quality of societal actors, is the key to successful green and smart urban development.

Keywords: city thematization; green city; knowledge–perception gap; smart city; sustainable urban development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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