# Decoding stakeholders' demand to map the future of smart communities: evidence from China

## TL;DR

This paper explores how different stakeholder demands shape smart communities in China, revealing patterns that can help improve community resilience during crises.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel classification model for stakeholder demands in smart communities using multi-dimensional clustering.

## Key findings

- Four distinct stakeholder demand clusters were identified based on community safety, livability, and governance.
- Clusters show an evolutionary pattern from low to high demand across dimensions.
- The model supports targeted strategies for public health and crisis governance.

## Abstract

Smart community development is critical for enhancing community resilience and strengthening collective capacities to respond to public health and other urban crises. A model-based taxonomy of stakeholder demands remains absent, as existing exploration has largely been limited to analyses of single stakeholder groups.

This study therefore develops a comprehensive classification model to capture stakeholder demands across three critical dimensions: community safety, livability services, and community governance. By integrating hierarchical clustering and K-means analysis of survey data from 1,606 respondents across 32 typical smart communities in China, a clear taxonomy of stakeholder demand emerges.

The analysis identifies four distinct clusters: Cluster 1 (strong livability services demand), Cluster 2 (prioritized safety and governance demand), Cluster 3 (comprehensive demand across all dimensions), and Cluster 4 (weak livability-focused demand). Furthermore, these clusters reveal a consistent evolutionary pathway along a low–medium–high demand continuum.

The findings provide a basis for public health and crisis governance, enabling targeted strategies that address differentiated community demands and foster more resilient communities.