Lessons Learned from the Smart City Concept Implementation in West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province

Accelerating regional economic growth is needed to be able to catch up with a region, especially if the region has economic potential, especially in terms of natural capital, such as a beautiful environment. However, in practice, a development process will experience obstacles as an inseparable part. This condition certainly requires appropriate treatment efforts based on empirical evidence data. This also happened to West Lombok. Where in fact the regions that get the opportunity to become Smart City pilots certainly have a positive impact, but the challenges that must be carried out also go hand in hand with the process of implementing these efforts. Referring to this background, the purpose of this research is to be able to explore and analyze the challenges experienced by West Lombok in implementing the Smart City program in its region. The method used is qualitative with data collection techniques in the form of documentation studies, observations, interviews, and focus group discussions. This study involved 50 informants with various backgrounds but still in accordance with the characteristics of the informants determined by the researcher through the use of purposive sampling technique. The results of this study are that there are four challenges that need to get more attention from the local government of West Lombok and its stakeholders as an effort to realize West Lombok as a smart city. The four challenges include policy, infrastructure, human capital, and environment. The need for strategic efforts carried out by West Lombok to be able to encourage the achievement of the target of becoming a smart city in Indonesia, especially in West Nusa Tenggara Province.