The thesis explores the development of the smart city concept as a response to accelerated urbanisation, which brings numerous social, environmental and technological challenges. The most successful in implementing this concept are the countries of the Western world and East Asia, with other nations, including Slovenia, gradually following their example. The thesis provides a detailed presentation of the smart city concept, its key components and the factors contributing to its successful implementation. The purpose of the thesis is to present examples of good practices from around the world, compare the level of smart city development in Slovenia, and examine the prevalence of digital public service usage among the general Slovenian population.
To achieve the research objectives, a literature review method was employed, along with a comparative analysis of practices in various countries. In addition, a quantitative survey was conducted among different users of digital public services in Slovenia. The survey questions were designed to gain insight into the level of awareness and the extent of broader use of digital public services, as well as to identify possibilities for their long-term utilization.
The research results show that digital literacy significantly influences satisfaction and the frequency of use of digital public services, as digital more literate populations more easily engage in the digital transformation of communities. It was found that a successful digital transformation of local communities depends not only on the technical sophistication of services but also on their accessibility, comprehensibility, and adaptability to users’ requirements. These characteristics are ultimately crucial for the equitable inclusion of all social strata of the population and for increasing their satisfaction with smart solutions.
|
