Characteristics and Problems of Smart City Development in China

The rapid expansion of urbanization both in scale and population leads to a series of serious urban diseases, which become a huge obstacle to the healthy and sustainable development of cities. To alleviate these problems and challenges, China launched a smart city construction program in the past decade and has taken the lead in smart city construction in the world. However, there is still a lack of reflection and summary on the practice of smart cities in China. Based on the definition and concept of smart city, this paper points out the internal and external driving factors of China’s smart city development, then summarizes the four major characteristics of China’s smart city construction practice, and explores the main problems existing in the process of China’s smart city construction. Through the reflection and summary, we can facilitate development of smart cities in China, provide useful reference to urban planners and smart city practitioners in other countries and regions, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of cities.