Determining the Convergences and Divergences among Smart City Beneficiaries (Case Study: Isfahan City)

Only few research has been conducted to compare smart city beneficiaries (supply and demand side) in smart cities. This study help fill this important research gap. This study examines and compares the priorities of intelligent actions required from the perspective of decision-makers (city managers, city planners, designers, and smart city service providers) with the preferences of the target community (citizens) in Isfahan to identify the points of convergence and divergence of these two groups. The statistical population of the study consists of two groups; the first group consisted of citizens of Isfahan who were over 18 and partly familiar with technology and intelligence. Using Cochran's formula, 340 people were selected. The second group of decision-makers are active in urban organizations and departments selected by snowball sampling. The research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method. The results showed that transportation and smart environment are convergences among the top three priorities of both groups, and there is a convergence between the views of citizens, officials, and managers. In both studied groups, the priorities are related to hard infrastructure. Comparing the top 20 smart city services for officials and managers with citizens, eight items are common to both groups. While the remaining 12 are different. The comparison between the priorities, perceptions, and orientations of the officials, managers, and citizens of Isfahan, on the one hand, shows some convergences between them, but on the other hand, more divergences were observed. The identified convergences can be used for participatory planning in smartening of Isfahan