Smart City Gnosys

Smart city article details

Title	Divergent And Convergent Thinking Processes In Smart Cities: A Systematic Review Of Human-Centered Design Practices
ID_Doc	20772
Authors	Ahmadzai P.
Year	2025
Published	Cities, 159
DOI	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105744
Abstract	Cities worldwide are increasingly attempting to address social challenges by applying innovative approaches, such as human-centered design (HCD). Generalized knowledge on how HCD is applied in urban contexts and why urban challenges are addressed through empathy toward citizens are limited. This study presents a systematic literature review aimed at mapping existing HCD practices in urban contexts, exploring the key drivers and challenges associated with their application. The review reveals four key rationales for applying HCD in cities (the why): improving public administration, enhancing citizen participation, driving social change, and prioritizing user-centeredness. Additionally, the review provides a deeper understanding of the impact and scalability of these design practices by identifying four main types of design deliverables typically employed in urban HCD initiatives (the how): product design, design proposals, design frameworks, and process redesigns. These problem-solving processes in cities are illustrated through the Double Diamond model. Although a promising approach, cities have struggled to institutionalize HCD in their everyday work routines. The ideal-typical HCD model challenges dominant public administration practices but is often likely to conflict with universality and traditional policy approaches. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
Author Keywords	Design thinking; Double diamond model; Human-centered design; Public administration; Smart cities; Systematic review; Urban innovation

Similar Articles

Id	Similarity	Authors	Title	Published
29644	0.928	Maqousi A.; Basu K.; Almomani A.; Alkasassbeh M.	Human-Centered Design For Smart Cities: Integrating Social Aspects In Planning And Policy	Revolutionizing Urban Development and Governance With Emerging Technologies (2025)
49524	0.92	Schliwa G.	Smart Cities By Design? Interrogating Design Thinking For Citizen Participation	The Right to the Smart City (2019)
29642	0.879	Pushkar T.; Serogina D.; Matvieieva N.; Sobolieva H.; Zhovtyak H.	Human-Centered Approach To Shaping Smart City Development Strategies	Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 808 LNNS (2023)
23752	0.877	Landa Oregi I.; Urra-Uriarte S.; Gonzalez Ochoantesana I.; Rodríguez M.A.; Molina-Costa P.	Enhancing Citizen Participation In Citizen-Centered Smart Cities: Insights From Two European Case Studies	Urban Science, 9, 5 (2025)
36183	0.877	Cosimato S.; Carrubbo L.; Capobianco N.	Making Smart Cities Resilient Harmonising Technologies And Human-Centricity	Technology Analysis and Strategic Management (2025)
44533	0.87	Förster N.; Schubert G.; Petzold F.	Rebugging The Smart City Design Explorations Of Digital Urban Infrastructure	Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (2022)
47358	0.87	Gardner N.	Scaling The Smart City: The Design And Ethics Of Urban Technology	Scaling the Smart City: The Design and Ethics of Urban Technology (2024)
15746	0.87	de Oliveira, A; Campolargo, M; Martins, M	Constructing Human Smart Cities	SMART CITIES, GREEN TECHNOLOGIES, AND INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (SMARTGREENS 2015), 579 (2015)
14080	0.869	Voelz A.; Muck C.; Amlashi D.M.; Karagiannis D.	Citizen-Centric Design Of Consumable Services For Smart Cities	Digital Government: Research and Practice, 4, 3 (2023)
52110	0.868	Kolodii, NA; Ivanova, VS; Chernova, DA	Sociocentrism Versus Technocentrism In Smart City Research	VESTNIK TOMSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA-FILOSOFIYA-SOTSIOLOGIYA-POLITOLOGIYA-TOMSK STATE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, 80 (2024)