Assessment of Cities in Russia According to the Concept of "Smart City" in the Context of the Application of Information and Communication Technologies

The article deals with the "smart city" concept, which is understood as such a model of the city, which provides, on the one hand, the sustainability of its development, and on the other - to stay in the comfort of its occupants. To analyze and assess the state of affairs, we have chosen one of the five “smart city” key elements, namely, the information-communication technologies including the following: new urban technologies, ICT in education, ICT in public health care, in electronic government and public services. The situation in three biggest Volga Federal Region cities (Kazan, Samara and Nizhniy Novgorod) has been analyzed. Recommendations on how to implement the “smart city” concept in other Russia’s cities are made. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n18p55