Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Governance in Urban Crisis Management: A Qualitative Review
Keywords:
Digital governance, Urban crisis management, Smart cities, Inter-organizational coordination, Cybersecurity, Qualitative analysisAbstract
The objective of this study is to examine the challenges, opportunities, and essential requirements for advancing digital governance in urban crisis management through a systematic qualitative literature review. This study employed a qualitative review design using systematic content analysis. Relevant literature was searched in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect using keywords related to digital governance, smart cities, and crisis management. After applying inclusion criteria and screening procedures, 16 eligible articles were selected and analyzed until theoretical saturation was reached. All data were imported into NVivo version 14 for coding. The analysis proceeded through open, axial, and selective coding, resulting in the identification of core themes encompassing challenges, opportunities, and requirements for digital governance in crisis management. The findings indicate that digital governance in urban crisis management faces numerous challenges, including technological infrastructure weaknesses, data fragmentation, institutional misalignment, regulatory gaps, and cybersecurity threats. Conversely, notable opportunities were identified, such as the development of intelligent crisis systems, enhanced transparency and accountability, increased digital citizen participation, data-driven decision-making, and improved inter-organizational coordination. The analysis also highlighted key requirements for digital governance development, including strengthening legal frameworks, modernizing technological infrastructure, standardizing data, improving digital literacy, and advancing predictive modeling capabilities. The study concludes that digital governance holds considerable potential to transform urban crisis management; however, its successful implementation requires multidimensional strategies, infrastructural enhancement, regulatory reform, and active citizen engagement. Transitioning toward digital governance is essential for building resilient, future-oriented urban systems.
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