ULAGANJE U STANOVNIŠTVO, TEHNOLOGIJU I INSTITUCIJE KAO KLJUČNE DIMENZIJE NUŽNE ZA UČINKOVIT RAZVOJ PAMETNIH GRADOVA S OSVRTOM NA SITAUCIJU U HRVATSKOJ/ INVESTMENTS IN POPULATION, TECHNOLOGY AND INSTITUTIONS AS A KEY DIMENSION REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART CITIES WITH A REVIEW AT THE SITUATION IN CROATIA

Abstract

World trends are showing a continuous increase in the number of inhabitants living in cities. It is expected that the 70% of the total world, and 80% of total European population will live in cities by 2050. By increasing the number of inhabitants, the challenges of city's management is growing as well, and with the aim of achieving maximum living standards and the quality of life of their inhabitants, the implementation of a smart city model was proved to be a necessity. The Republic of Croatia, as a member of the European Union is obliged to follow the recommendations contained in a series of documents and conclusions as well as sources of available funding available to the European member states. The paper provides a framework for understanding the concept of smart cities through an overview of scientific literature, examples of good practice from Europe and the world, and a detailed analysis of the state and degree of development of smart cities in the Republic of Croatia with a focus on key dimensions of smart city development. It has been proven that investing in the key dimensions of a smart city: population, technology and institutions generates revenue growth, economic development and the better quality of life of city population. The research methodology for this paper is based on a mixed method that involves the collection, analysis and integration of quantitative and qualitative research. The aim of the paper is to provide a framework for understanding the concept of a smart city, point out to the advantages of such management mode, as well as the key dimension to be invested in, to boost the economic development and quality of life of the dominant, city population.