Definition methodology for the smart cities model

Nowadays, the large and small districts are proposing a new city model, called "the smart city", which represents a community of average technology size, interconnected and sustainable, comfortable, attractive and secure. The landscape requirements and the solutions to local problems are the critical factors. The cities consume 75% of worldwide energy production and generate 80% of CO2 emissions. Thus, a sustainable urban model, "the smart city", is sustained by the European Commission. In this paper, a model for computing "the smart city" indices is proposed. The chosen indicators are not homogeneous, and contain high amount of information. The paper deals with the computation of assigned weights for the considered indicators. The proposed approach uses a procedure based on fuzzy logic and defines a model that allows us to estimate "the smart city", in order to access European funding. The proposed innovative system results in a more extended comprehension and simple use. Thus, the model could help in policy making process as starting point of discussion between stakeholders, as well as citizens in final decision of adoption measures and best evaluated options. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.