Fundamental Directions of the Development of the Smart Cities Concept and Solutions in Poland

As city areas have been experiencing dynamic growth, the efficient development of cities is becoming a priority for technologically advanced countries and for states further down on the list from the global leaders. Smart cities are friendly for both people and the environment, in which life is better, safer, and healthier, the results of a creative approach to developing and implementing various innovations. Boasting sustainable and modern infrastructure and management, ecological city centres are perceived as key foundations of the future. Still, developing cities towards being "smart" is a serious challenge, not just for self-government and government administrators, but also for entities offering technical and technological solutions used for the purpose of implementing the improvements. The research objective was an attempt to indicate the expected changes in the shaping of the idea of smart cities in Poland. The authors' own research was conducted from 2 August to 31 August. The method of focus group interviews with experts, specialists in the field of smart city, was used. Twenty-three practitioners participated in the study. The geographic area of the analysis covered the territory of the Republic of Poland. The time perspective of the study concerned the end of the current decade. The research process consisted of three stages: (1) preparation, the analysis of the literature on the subject (in which the variables selected for the study were identified); (2) the implementation of focus interviews; and (3) the analysis of the research results. In the last stage of the study, the statistical analysis and qualitative approach to responses were also used (by creating clusters). A network of relations, spanning a total of 3034 connections, was developed from the responses of experts on the fundamental development directions, beneficial factors, and adverse factors. On the basis of the research results, a SWOT analysis was prepared, containing the key beneficial factors, adverse factors, benefits, and disadvantages of smart city development. It was shown, on the basis of the conducted research, that the key development directions for smart cities in Poland by 2030 are: smart and sustainable buildings and infrastructure, smart mobility, and smart energy. The developed results of the analyses constitute an added value and can be used particularly in planning investments in intelligent solutions (identification of barriers and key development factors).