Smart City Replication and Group Model Building: A Conceptual Comparison

In order to accelerate the sustainability transition in cities and to overcome existing challenges in urban areas, local authorities are pressured to find effective means and solutions. Due to that, the concept of replication has been attracting more attention. Replication is based on the common understanding that cities benefit from a more or less formalized exchange of information, experiences, ideas and technical solutions. Policymakers such as the European Commission have incorporated the idea of replication into their smart city initiatives and funding schemes. However, replication strategies fall short of expectations and, in their current form, have limited applicability to urban transformation projects. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the current challenges in this area and discuss the possibilities to overcome them using the problem-solving technique of Group Model Building (GMB). Advantages of Modeling results in advantages regarding the generation, perception and handling of information. However, there are also fundamental and structural barriers in the replication process that cannot be addressed by GMB.