Ismaïl Hamoumi: A comparative study of ‘Smart Cities and Territories Policies’ in medium-sized towns: governance, the transformation of public policy and the economic market

An analysis of regional strategies reveals a recent surge in ‘smart city’ projects being undertaken by medium-sized towns and major cities (Paris, Rennes, Nice, Marseille, Dijon, Brest, Saint-Étienne, Chartres, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Nevers, La Rochelle, Arras, etc.). This incorporation of smart city issues into the French urban agenda has sparked a number of debates, questions, concerns and proposals regarding their integration into socio-technical systems and their effects on regions and governance.

Analysis of smart city strategies and their impact on organisations, local authorities and public services has so far focused on major cities. The arguments put forward to date have adopted a framework that is less readily applicable to medium-sized towns. These studies tend to focus on metropolitan stakeholders, who possess greater expertise and capacity than their counterparts in smaller towns. This observation suggests that medium-sized towns are not affected by these new opportunities. This is jumping to conclusions.

Our project will adopt three approaches to address our questions regarding the specific characteristics of the relationship between medium-sized towns and smart city and regional policies.
The first focuses on the modernisation of public administration through the work of public officials, the integration of new management tools, and the co-production of public services and regional innovations with the local ecosystem.
The second examines the nature of the incentives and policies that build a local data and innovation economy.
The third examines the specific characteristics of the innovation market within medium-sized towns. It is through this approach that we will attempt to understand how medium-sized towns influence smart city and smart region policies, and vice versa. This two-way dynamic, according to our hypotheses, defines the specific nature of this level of government for this type of study.