The Impact of Smart City Dimensions on Cilegon City’s Smart City Index Using SEM-PLS

Abstract

Smart city implementation requires empirical evidence on which dimensions contribute most strongly to city performance. This study examines the effects of six smart city dimensions on the Smart City Index of Cilegon City: Smart Governance, Smart Branding, Smart Economy, Smart Living, Smart Society, and Smart Environment. A quantitative design was used with 100 expert respondents from the Department of Communication and Informatics and the Regional Development Planning, Research, and Development Agency of Cilegon City. Data were collected through a structured five-point Likert questionnaire. The instrument was developed from established smart city dimensions and evaluated using convergent validity, discriminant validity, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and Average Variance Extracted. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with SmartPLS 4. The results show that Smart Governance (β = 0.187; p = 0.003), Smart Branding (β = 0.226; p = 0.005), Smart Economy (β = 0.191; p = 0.026), and Smart Society (β = 0.173; p = 0.049) have positive and significant effects on the Smart City Index. Smart Living (β = 0.135; p = 0.133) and Smart Environment (β = 0.113; p = 0.066) show positive but insignificant effects. These findings indicate that institutional, branding, economic, and social dimensions currently provide the strongest contribution to smart city performance in Cilegon City.