Innovation dimension in the concept of a smart city: is the innovativeness the main attribute of being smart?

Abstract

The dimension of innovation in regard to the concept of a smart city is presented in this article. The analysis of scientific literature revealed that innovativeness, although it is called the main tool to compete successfully in changing circumstances, cannot be always the expression of smartness, which is nowadays understood as a desired state of contemporary cities. Innovativeness is an attribute of smartness just in the case, if it is based on intelligence, learning, knowledge, agility, and networking and seeks sustainability, while digitality, which can be seen as one of the outcomes of innovativeness, plays a role of the facilitator of these processes. Otherwise, innovativeness may even have harmful effects to the city.