Smart sports communities are emerging as a crucial component of China’s National Fitness Strategy, driven by digital empowerment and governance innovation. This study examines the historical evolution of urban community sports and investigates how technological innovations enhance governance, management, service efficiency, and user experience in the development of smart sports communities. Method: This research employs an empirical case study in the Yangtze River Delta region, encompassing 25 grassroots communities across cities such as Nanjing, Jiaxing, Shanghai, Hefei, and Wuhu. A historical analysis of policy documents, academic research, and media reports provides longitudinal insights into the transformation of urban community sports since the 1990s. In addition, qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders (government officials, citizens, volunteers, suppliers, and project managers) and field observations, assessing the role of digital technologies in fostering sports participation and enhancing governance effectiveness. The findings indicate that digital empowerment and governance innovation are reshaping smart sports communities in multiple ways: (1) shifting community sports services from a government-led model to a public-private partnership approach that responds to personalized demands; (2) optimizing grassroots governance through digital platforms and smart applications, enabling refined management of public services; (3) reinforcing national policy implementation and regulatory oversight via smart service technologies; and (4) fostering community engagement, social collaboration, and sustainable urban development by integrating digital tools into sports participation frameworks. The integration of technological innovation into community sports governance provides new opportunities for urban community development, enhancing both participation and management efficiency. However, this study also identifies challenges related to technology alienation. Future development of smart sports communities should move beyond infrastructure deployment to emphasize dynamic, multi-stakeholder collaboration, the construction of interactive online-to-offline sports networks, and the expansion of public social spaces. Simultaneously, governance strategies should address potential risks of technology alienation to ensure inclusive and balanced development in the digital era.
Liu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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