With China’s development plan of “digital—intelligent transformation,” the Smart City Pilot Policy (SCPP) initiative has played a unique role in disaster management since 2012. Based on three batches of China’s smart pilot cities, this research harnesses the multi-period difference-in-differences method to empirically examine the SCPP impact on urban disaster resilience by adopting panel data from 102 sample cities between 2013 and 2023. The findings reveal the following aspects. (1) the SCPP significantly enhances the level of Urban Disaster Resilience (UDR) as defined, albeit with a time lag. (2) the SCPP primarily improves UDR by promoting technological empowerment and innovation driver. (3) Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that SCPP’s impact varies by city scale and administrative level, and the positive effect is more pronounced for peripheral cities. This primary finding remains reliable after a series of robustness checks. This study provides insights for developing countries similar to China for promoting smart city construction and strengthening the capacity to lift urban disaster resilience.
AbegazR.XuJ.WangF. (2026). Flood impacts on civil infrastructure systems: A comprehensive review of impacts, modeling tools, emerging technologies, and mitigation strategies. Natural Hazards Review, 27(1), Article 03125002. https://doi.org/10.1061/nhrefo.nheng-2477
2.
BaiO.ShiY. J.WuF. H. (2025). Pioneering the post-smart cities paradigm in urban innovation ecosystems governance: A case study of Hangzhou City-Brain Initiative. Urban Policy and Research, 43(3), 260–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2025.2456258
3.
BoS. (2019). Centralization and regional development: Evidence from political hierarchy reform to create cities in China. Journal of Urban Economics, 115, 2020. http://doi.org.10.1016/j.jue.2019.06.005
4.
CaiQ. M.ZhangC. Y. (2023). Does the smart city improve public service delivery? A quasi-natural experiment based on a smart city pilot program in China. Public Performance & Management Review, 46(3), 752–769. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2023.2166087
5.
ChoiY. J.KenneyL. (2024). A conceptual framework to explore considerations of the social implications in internet of things and smart city governance and policy: The case of Thailand. Policy and Internet, 16(2), 242–271. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.401
6.
ClementS.JozaeiJ.MitchellM.AllenC. R.GarmestaniA. S. (2024). How resilience is framed matters for governance of coastal social-ecological systems. Environmental Policy and Governance, 34(1), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2056
7.
DelinaL.ShiL.GaviolaJ.Cagoco-GuiamR. (2025). Balancing immediate relief and resilience: Centring local voices for disaster aid and capacity building in climate-conflict vulnerable communities. Sustainable Development, 33(3), 4589–4603. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3359
8.
FengY.WangJ.ZhangT. (2024). The impact of smart city policies on city resilience: An evaluation of 282 Chinese Cities. Sustainability, 16(19), 8669. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198669
9.
FeofilovsM.RomagnoliF. (2021). Dynamic assessment of urban resilience to natural hazards. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 62, Article 102328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102328
10.
FloodK.MahonM.McDonaghJ. (2022). Everyday resilience: Rural communities as agents of change in peatland social-ecological systems. Journal of Rural Studies, 96, 316–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.11.008
11.
FowlerC.CaiX.BakerJ. T.OnnelaJ.-P.ValeriL. (2024). Testing unit root non-stationarity in the presence of missing data in univariate time series of mobile health studies. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C: Applied Statistics, 73(3), 755–773. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrsssc/qlae010
12.
GaoM.GuQ. K.HeS. J. (2022). Place-based policies, administrative hierarchy, and city growth: Evidence from China. Economic Modelling, 115, Article 105999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2022.105952
13.
GeY.DouW.TaoZ.YangY.MiY.ZhouD. (2024). Characterizing the nature of social vulnerability to disasters in inner-city households: Case of Jiaxing, China. Natural Hazards Review, 25(1), Article 05023017. https://doi.org/10.1061/nhrefo.nheng-1870
14.
GrossiG.WelinderO. (2024). Smart cities at the intersection of public governance paradigms for sustainability. Urban Studies, 61(10), 2011–2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241227807
15.
GuoQ.ZhongJ. (2022). The effect of urban innovation performance of smart city construction policies: Evaluate by using a multiple period difference-in-differences model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 184, Article 122003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122003
16.
HaikoH.HollanderJ. B.SavchenkoI. (2025). Priority ranking of alternative Odesa metro plan variants: Using modified morphological analysis method. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 29(4), 910–938. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2025.2452509
17.
HongB.BonczakB. J.GuptaA.KontokostaC. E. (2021). Measuring inequality in community resilience to natural disasters using large-scale mobility data. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1870. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22160-w
HuangC.WangQ.YiH. T. (2025). Understanding collaborative water governance in local China: The role of collaborative strategy in shaping network structures. Chinese Public Administration Review, 16(2), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/15396754251327845
20.
JiangN.JiangW. (2024). How does regional integration policy affect urban resilience? Evidence from urban agglomeration in China. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 104, Article 107298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107298
21.
KaratzimasS. (2024). Smart cities’ actions, performance and reporting practices on climate change challenges: An exploratory analysis in a sample of awarded smart cities. Cities, 153, Article 105270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105270
22.
KhatibiH.WilkinsonS.EriwataG.SweyaL. N.BaghersadM.DianatH.GhaediK.JavanmardiA. (2022). An integrated framework for assessment of smart city resilience. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 49(5), 1556–1577. https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083221092422
23.
KimJ. H.KimM. J. (2025). Analysis of urban management information technology systems: Ubiquitous city, smart city, metaverse, and digital twin. International Journal of Urban Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2025.2452501 (early access).
24.
KummithaR. K. R. (2025). Smart city governance: Assessing modes of active citizen engagement. Regional Studies, 59(1), Article 2399262. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2399262
25.
LeeD.OhJ. (2022). Role of trust in government and collaboration in building disaster resilience. Social Science Quarterly, 103(7), 1647–1658. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13229
26.
LeeJ.BabcockJ.PhamT. S.BuiT. H.KangM. (2023) Smart city as a social transition towards inclusive development through technology: A tale of four smart cities. International. Journal of Urban Science, 27(1), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2022.2074076
27.
LiD.ZhuX.HuangG.FengH.ZhuS.LiX. (2022). A hybrid method for evaluating the resilience of urban road traffic network under flood disaster: An example of Nanjing, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 46306–46324. http://doi.10.1007/s11356-022-19142-w
28.
LiJ.TangS.-Y.WenB. (2026). Unpacking resilience in public administration: Insights from a meta-narrative review. Public Administration Review. Advance online publication. (early access). https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.70083
29.
LiR.YuenF.K.WangY.H.LuY. (2026). System dynamics–based framework for modeling and assessing smart city resilience: A case study of Chengdu, China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 136(1), Article 107056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.107056
30.
LinA. Q.WuH.LiangG.Cardenas-TristanA.WuX.ZhaoC.LiD. (2020). A big data-driven dynamic estimation model of relief supplies demand in urban flood disaster. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49, Article 101682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120743
31.
LuY. W.ZhaiG. F. (2021). Applications and exploration of artificial intelligence technology in urban disaster risk management. Urban Planning International, 36(2), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.193.60.250:8123/UPLOAD/202506/05/202506051411292491
32.
MuneneM. B.SwartlingÅ. G.ThomallaF. (2018). Adaptive governance as a catalyst for transforming the relationship between development and disaster risk through the Sendai Framework?International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 28, 653–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.01.021
33.
ProfiroiuC. M.NegoițăC. I.CosteaA. V. (2024). Digitalization of public administration in EU member states in times of crisis: The contributions of the national recovery and resilience plans. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 90(2), 336–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523231177554
34.
QuL. (2021). A new approach to estimating earnings forecasting models: Robust regression MM-estimation. International Journal of Forecasting, 37(2), 1011–1030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijforecast.2020.11.003
35.
RavidB. Y.GutmanM. A. (2024). The place of co-production: A physical space for collaborative urban government. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 209, Article 123748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123748
36.
SajjadM.ChanJ. C. L.ChopraS. S. (2021). Rethinking disaster resilience in high-density cities: Towards an urban resilience knowledge system. Sustainable Cities and Society, 69, Article 102850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.102850
37.
SarkerM. N. I.PengY.ChengY.ShouseR. C. (2020). “Disaster resilience through big data: Way to environmental sustainability.”International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51, Article 101769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101769.
38.
SongM. (2023). How does the smart city policy influence digital infrastructure? Spatial evidence from China. Land, 12(7), 1381. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071381
39.
TerblancheT.De SousaL. O.Van NiekerkD. (2022). Disaster resilience framework indicators for a city’s disaster resilience planning strategy. Jàmbá-Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 14(1), 1264. https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.4102/jamba.v14i1.1264
40.
UllahF.QayyumS.ThaheemM. J.Al-TurjmanF.SepasgozarS. M. (2021). Risk management in sustainable smart cities governance: A TOE framework. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 167, Article 120743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120743
41.
WangY.ZhaoZ.LiuJ.BaiY.TanZ (2024). Mechanisms and effect assessment of smart city policy pilots on employment resilience: Empirical evidence based on 275 sample cities in China. Economic Analysis and Policy, 83, 631–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2024.09.001
42.
YabeT.RaoP. S. C.UkkusuriS. V.CutterS. L. (2022). Toward data-driven, dynamical complex systems approaches to disaster resilience. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 119(8), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111997119
43.
YaoT.HuangZ.ZhaoW. (2020). Are smart cities more ecologically efficient? Evidence from China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 60, Article 102008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.102008
44.
YehA. G.ChenZ. (2020). From cities to super mega city regions in China in a new wave of urbanization and economic transition: Issues and challenges. Urban Studies, 57(3), 636–654. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098019879566
ZouY. H. (2024). Urban resilience, digital technologies, and the economic recovery of a city from the pandemic. Public Administration Review, 84(4), 637–650. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13678
