Summary

As a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley, my dissertation centered around gaining a better understanding of the benefits (for government, corporations, and citizens) of smart cities. This project was associated with LG Business Research, who aimed to use these findings in possible design and development processes for future smart city projects.

This dissertation was built around answering:

(1) What are the government and corporations’ motivations, desires, and visions for developing smart city projects?

(2) Through the government and corporations' collaboration, what kind of smart city projects have they already produced?

(3) What are the complexities of developing and operating smart city projects?

To answer, I conducted qualitative research, including interviews, site visits, and discourse analysis.

Key findings:
My dissertation illuminates three key factors that contribute to the negligence of smart city projects:

(1) Government/corporations’ prioritization of their own objectives

(2) The government’s reliance on existing organizational structures and supporting systems in place for managing traditional cities

(3) Major stakeholders’ lack of integrated understanding of smart city projects’ design and accessibility

My dissertation offers suggestions for effective development, site-specific design, and sustainable operational strategies for smart cities.

The findings were presented to LG Business Research for future smart city development projects as well as published/accepted for review in 3 design/HCI journals.

My dissertation is currently under embargo. If you are interested in my research topic, you can access an excerpt from here.

Additional chapters will be published soon in peer-reviewed journals.