Evolutionary logic of smart cities in China: a textual analysis perspective

Accelerated urban development and a focus on smart city development are advocated for the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Using text analysis, a thorough analysis of 2039 policy and news texts on smart cities in China from 2009 to 2022 was carried out based on the evolutionary logic and development route of smart cities. According to the report, China's smart city development may be broken down into three distinct phases, including the "construction period" (2009–2012) and the "development period" (2013–2018), the "stable promotion period" (2019–2022), and more. The focus of China's smart city building is on four areas: the digital economy, new infrastructure construction, layout optimization, and data security, according to an analysis of the research hotspots in each phase. Building new infrastructure is the foundation of a smart city, and layout optimization, the digital economy, and data security are the priorities. Additionally, the development pulse of China's smart cities over the next five years is initiated in conjunction with China's policy development.