Cultural heritage and multi-actors innovation. Evidences from smart cities

Objectives. The role of stakeholders and technology has been widely recognised in literature, but the studies on the link between firms and cultural heritage in the development of smart projects are missing. The purpose of the paper is to fill this gap by analysing the relationship between the different actors and resources facilitating smartization processes. Methodology. The paper is performed through a content analysis of the reports prepared by the key industry players in smart cities’ market, referring to 90 ongoing projects, selected from the identification of firms by Navigant Research. Findings. The results show a pivotal role played by culture in reports describing it as the glue between actors, activities, and resources in smart projects. This consideration is confirmed by the linkages emerging among cultural heritage, stakeholders, and smart cities’ features, shaping the models investigated. Research limits. The results arising from the empirical evidences selected are from projects still ongoing, so a longitudinal perspective can be helpful in replying the research. Practical implications. The results of the investigation lead to the depiction of culture as the core of smart city models and plans, and they underline stakeholders’ crucial role in defining aims and in acting to achieve the expected goals. Originality of the study. The paper depicts the main elements of the analysed projects and the role of cultural heritage in providing smart services. The focus on stakeholders favouring innovation in services aims at the delineation of the links among cultural heritage, actors, and innovation