Developing a Framework for Spatial Effects of Smart Cities Based on Spatial Econometrics

The rapid urbanization in China has already put heavy pressures on imperfect infrastructure, especially for fundamental urban functions such as power and water supply, traffic, education, and healthcare. The emergence of smart cities can help cope with the rapidly expanding demands on urban infrastructure. However, the development of smart cities in China is just in its infancy, and there is still a lack of clear understanding of the development path of smart cities. This article focuses on the development of smart cities in China. It aims to (a) judge whether there is spatial autoregression in the construction of smart cities in 83 Chinese cities and (b) identify key influencing factors in the development of smart cities in China through a spatial econometric model developed by GeoDa software. The results show that there exists spatial autoregression in the development of smart cities in China. Four key influencing factors (governmental support, innovative level, economic development, and human capital) are identified. Based on these findings, suggestions for future promoting development of smart cities in China are put forward. This research can deepen the understanding of the spatial effects of smart cities and provide valuable decision-making references for policy makers.