While smart city transformation is a remarkably popular topic among urban policymakers across the globe, there is little evidence on how to evaluate a city’s smartness level accurately. This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by applying a novel assessment framework to a case study context and generating useful insights. To achieve this aim, the study evaluates the smartness levels of 27 Brazilian state capital cities through the indicators of productivity and innovation, livability and well-being, sustainability and accessibility, governance and planning, and connectivity and innovation. This urban smartness analysis is conducted through a smart city assessment framework that brings up three categories of smart city performance types—i.e., leading, following, and developing. The findings of the analysis revealed that the common characteristics of cities with leading smartness performance are having: (a) a strong innovation ecosystem; (b) Specific legislation for developing entrepreneurship; (c) Training opportunities for skilled labor; and (d) Conditions for knowledge-based development and digital transformation offerings and readiness. The analysis identified the smartest cities in Brazil as follows: Florianópolis, São Paulo, Vitória, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and Cuiabá. This study offers insights from the application of a novel method in the Brazilian context for the local authorities to consider adopting for smart city performance and progress analyses and subsequently making necessary interventions to transform their smart city policy and practice to realize their desired goals.

Purpose: This research goal was to analyze factors that may influence value-in-use and satisfaction perceived by university students, from the built environment, price fairness and teaching care.Design/methodology/approach: For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 900 students from a university in southern Brazil.Findings: The main results proved that the antecedents considered in the study have a significant and positive influence on the value-in-use and satisfaction of university students. Furthermore, the built environment, price fairness, teaching care and satisfaction explained 87.8% of the value-in-use of students, while the built environment, price fairness and teaching care explained 74.9% of student satisfaction.Originality/value: The study proved that after receiving the educational service, if the student can apply his or her acquired knowledge and skills, he or she will find a fair price, will be satisfied and will obtain value in the service purchased. Thus, even if the educational market is changing in recent years, the importance of the teacher and the built environment are factors that influence price fairness and increase the satisfaction and value-in-use perceived by the student.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way business is handled. Besides, people’s purchasing habits have been impacted by new safety, social, and health restrictions. Thus, the purpose of this research was to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic impact in the relationships between the built environment, price level, and service quality on supermarket customers’ satisfaction. For this purpose, a survey of 245 supermarket customers in southern Brazil was conducted at two different times: before and during the pandemic. The results point out that the price level, toilets, and location are essential to explain satisfaction at all times. Comfort presented importance before the pandemic, configuration, and service quality in pandemic times. These features are essential for supermarket management to prioritize efforts on attributes and dimensions relevant to customers.

Because of the transformations that occurred in the 20th century, we have evolved from a development model based on primary production and industry to a new economy based on information and knowledge. Within this economy, new arrangements and development environments have emerged, replacing the old industrial districts, and becoming the leading players in economic and social development, besides generating employment and income. This transformation gave place to a new configuration of information and knowledge exchange by creating innovation environments, particularly innovation districts. This study examines revitalisation experiences as strategies to foster Areas of Innovation (AOIs) to favour creativity and innovation from the flows of knowledge and technologies based on Brazilian cases. Assuming the lenses of the life cycle of innovation areas in cities, knowledge flows for innovation and the concepts of urban revitalisation, three Brazilian cases are presented and analysed: Recife, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre. In the three cases presented, there is evidence of the different performances of the agents within the Triple Helix and that all agents are necessary to fulfil the phases of transforming the environments into creative and innovative spaces. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->