Influencing Factors of Green Smart City Development Under Government–Enterprise Cooperation: An Integrated DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC Approach

Abstract

Green smart city development increasingly depends on cooperation between public authorities and enterprises, yet existing research has not adequately explained how government-side enabling conditions and enterprise-side capabilities are structurally connected. This study identifies the key factors affecting green smart city development from the perspective of government–enterprise cooperation and examines their causal relationships, hierarchical structure, driving power, and dependence. A systematic literature review and Delphi consultation with ten experts from government agencies, enterprises, and universities in China were used to establish a framework of ten factors. The enterprise factors include technologies, innovation, responsibilities, management, and talents, while the government factors include databases, platforms, infrastructure, funds, and policy system. An integrated DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC approach was then applied to analyze the relationships among these factors. The results show that policy system and funds are the fundamental driving factors, infrastructure and talents serve as key transmission factors, and technologies and innovation are highly connected but mainly dependent on upstream conditions. Responsibilities show relatively weak structural connectivity and become more influential when embedded in formal institutional and managerial mechanisms. This study develops a unified analytical framework that links government enabling conditions with enterprise implementation capabilities, clarifies the internal structure of green smart city development, and provides practical guidance for improving policy coordination, financial support, digital foundations, and enterprise capacity in China and other comparable contexts.