Galati – smart city? Desideratum or reality

Abstract

Objectives We all want to live in a smart and innovative city. In Galati, a few steps have been taken towards its development and transformation into a Smart City. The purpose of the research is to analyze the steps taken to achieve this goal. The objectives of the article aim at drawing up a SWOT analysis for the city of Galati and the guidelines for medium and long term development strategies. Prior work The paper is a continuation of previous research conducted in the field of funding from the European Union and it is based on personal experience as a practitioner in public administration domain, in the management of European funds. Approach The chosen research method is case study, which will present some successful projects in Galati, whose implementation contributes to the economic and social development of the municipality. Results The study highlights both the results of the projects and the degree of fulfillment of the desideratum of transforming Galati into a Smart City. The implications of the study for the local public administration and for the Galati community are to be considered, for practitioners in the sense of using the information from the presented strategies, and also for the inhabitants - awareness of the positive and negative aspects of the city, of potential opportunities. Value The paper highlights the current status of Galati compared to other county seat cities in Romania and the desire of its inhabitants to live in a true Smart City.