Smart city funding: a focus on PPPs

The complex processes of a city smartization determine a not simple choice of the financial solutions. Different studies consider that the funding model to realize a smart city must shift from the use of “traditional” tools to some financial mixed solutions. Our work aimed at analyze Public Private Partnership (PPP) as one of the main tools for smart city financing in order to understand if they are the best possible solution. In detail, after the literature review on the main financial instruments for smart city and a focus on typologies, risks and benefits of PPP, we have conducted a desk analysis based on collecting data from existing resources as official documents and websites about the European PPP market trends and the usage of PPP in smart city contexts. The findings show that PPPs, despite some their criticalities, have supported the most successful smart city projects in Europe.