Sometimes it seems as if urban governance and urban planning in Hungary are still stuck in the 20th century. Yet, there is a wealth of potential in the smart city technologies that are becoming more commonly used with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). But are Hungarian cities making use of these tools? Can we see any awareness of the adaptation of smart city tools and AI in urban governance and urban planning if we focus on university cities?_x000D_
Hungarian municipalities are now preparing urban investments based on EU 2021-27 funding as generally cities in Hungary overwhelmingly have to rely on EU financial resources. As part of the ongoing strategic planning, they are required to prepare a so-called Sustainable Urban Strategy (SUS), which includes the obligation for municipalities to carry out analyses, surveys, and digital action plans for the digitalization of city services and municipal public institutions. Thus, SUSs provide a relatively accurate picture of the planned domestic use of smart city technologies and AI instruments up to 2027. _x000D_
The research focuses on university cities because of their size, regional role, and innovation potential. We review and classify these SUSs of university cities according to which municipality’s strategy includes the use of smart city technology and AI, and whether and to what extent the city’s marketing tools include and seek to develop a smart city image. Interviews with city leaders complement this to organize and interpret these trends._x000D_
The research also provides a snapshot of the extent to which individual municipalities consider it important to emphasize the use of smart city and artificial intelligence technologies in their image-making, while also providing insights into current trends in urban governance and urban planning in Hungary.

Balázs Berkecz, Henriett Maráz
University of Pécs, Doctoral School of Earth Sciences

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ID Abstract: 276