Comparative Smart City Governance. Lessons from Poland for Advancing Romania’s Urban Digital Transformation

Abstract

The article compares Poland’s smart city governance model with Romania’s county‑capital strategies to identify actionable reforms for Romania’s urban digital transformation. Poland embeds smart goals across national and local strategies and tracks progress using indicator‑based monitoring, open data, cybersecurity, and inclusion measures. Romania’s strategies are ambitious and project‑rich but often fragmented, under‑specified on outcomes, and light on data governance. Using a four‑pillar lens (Economy, Society, Environment, Governance), we benchmark Romanian plans against Poland’s indicator set and synthesize common gaps: weak key performance indicator (KPI) systems, limited open data practices, minimal cybersecurity planning, and insufficient institutional capacity. We recommend: a national framework that standardizes pillars and indicators; city data platforms and open‑data commitments; cybersecurity by design; indicator‑driven management; dedicated smart‑governance units and cross‑sector coordination; alignment with funding and public-private partnerships (PPPs); and citizen‑centric inclusion. This governance‑first blueprint preserves local tailoring while enabling measurable progress toward sustainable, inclusive smart cities.