Smart-City Citizen Engagement: The Answer to Energy Savings in an Economic Crisis?

As the populations of cities grow, it is obvious that they need more and more resources. Energy is currently one of the most desirable resources due to the economic and energy crisis, but it needs to be used in a sustainable manner. There are cities that achieve smart city (SC) status that provide smart policies towards sustainable development. The aim of the present paper is to determine whether citizen engagement in SC can contribute to reduced energy consumption in the current economic crisis. The paper presents an original survey intended to collect primary data and a study conducted based exclusively on qualitative methods. The results concern a broad and multifaceted review of literature concerning SCs, as well as citizens' engagement and their role in SC development. The study allows understanding of the economic phenomena taking place in SCs and filling the gaps regarding the behavior of SC citizens. It shows that SCs create smart citizens that feel responsible for the environment and aggregate a more responsible environment for public actions with citizen engagement. In terms of energy savings, the study shows that it is possible to specify the economic and energy benefits of SC citizen engagement.