Timothy, A G; Bonney, S O and Thwala, W D (2026) Principal component analysis of smart city delivery for sustainable construction in Ghana. Construction Economics and Building, 26(1), ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
A paradigm shift towards sustainable urban development is represented by the building industry's adoption of smart city ideas. The construction sector can play a key part in creating cities of the future, as smart city initiatives continue to gain traction. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the approaches to deliver smart cities for sustainable development in the construction industry in Ghana, utilising principal component analysis. The study used questionnaire instrumentation and quantitative research methods. Of the 350 respondents, 317 were purposively sampled to answer the questionnaire. The study found that there are two distinct methods for delivering smart cities: integrated and collaborative service platforms (ICSPs) and technology and data-driven approaches (TDAs). The major discoveries under ICSPs include integrated service delivery platforms, collaborative governance, smart building solutions, and smart health services. Key revelations under TDAs comprise cloud computing, integrated transport systems, co-creation and citizen engagement, and data analytics and artificial intelligence. The study's conclusion is that in order to support long-term scalability, reduce redundancy, and enhance system resilience in response to growing urban demands, industry stakeholders should make investments in adaptable, modular technologies that can be easily integrated into existing infrastructure. Players in the building construction sector that support smart cities as sustainable construction practices may find the survey's findings intriguing. The current study contributes to the body of knowledge about approaches to smart city delivery in the Ghanaian construction industry, which is important, given the dearth of prior research on this topic in Ghana.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; Ghana; smart city; smart city delivery; sustainable construction |
| Index terms: | paradigm, building industry, principal component analysis, artificial intelligence, co-creation, construction industry, quantitative research, service delivery, health service, platform, governance, instrumentation, sustainable urban development, Ghana, smart city, questionnaire, smart building, traction, body of knowledge, construction sector, sustainable construction, sustainable construction practice, cloud computing, survey, redundancy, sustainable development, building construction |
| Subjects: | knowledge management, analytical methods, construction type, building construction, transportation engineering, health safety and environment, Geography, sustainable construction, design process, digital design, sustainability and resilience, artificial intelligence, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, business, urban sustainability, industry analysis, digital infrastructure, statistical analysis, education and knowledge transfer, management, public and environmental health, service delivery |
| Topics: | Information Management, Research Practice, Governance, Construction Technology, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here