This thesis addresses the research question of what impact the use of blockchain technology has on improving sustainability in a smart city. For this purpose, first an insight into the emergence of blockchain technology, as well as its structure, characteristics and various consensus mechanisms is given. This is followed by insights into the different types of blockchain and the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology in order to create as comprehensive an understanding as possible.
Due to the continuous progress of urbanization and the associated environmental pollution and destruction, it is becoming increasingly important to find innovative solutions to these problems.
The United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) offer countries and cities a basis for improving their sustainability. SDG 11 addresses the development of sustainable smart cities and communities. Smart cities use innovative technologies that are interconnected with each other across all areas of a city to drive sustainable and resource-saving urban development and provide citizens with a high quality of life. These technologies use sensors and other devices to collect data from their immediate environment, which is then analyzed to identify problems in their early stages and make improvements. However, the large amount of sensitive and personal data also increases the risk of security vulnerabilities. One of these technologies that could help improve sustainability in smart cities and also reduce risks is blockchain technology.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Blockchain Technology
- What is a Blockchain?
- Structure
- Consensus mechanisms
- Characteristics
- Types of Blockchains
- Public Blockchain
- Private Blockchain
- Consortium Blockchain
- Hybrid Blockchain
- Benefits
- Challenges
- Technical Challenges
- Legal Issues
- Security Vulnerabilities and Threats
- Brief overview on the use cases of a blockchain
- What is a Blockchain?
- Smart City Concept
- What are smart cities?
- Challenges of the Smart City Concept
- Technical Risks
- Technical risks related to Blockchain
- Non-technical Challenges
- Sustainability in Smart Cities
- Research Method
- Findings
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Smart Environment
- Waste, Water and Air Management
- Smart Energy
- Smart Living
- Smart Home
- Smart Health
- Smart Governance
- Smart Economy
- Sharing Economies
- Supply Chain Management
- Agriculture and Aquaculture
- Smart Mobility
- Smart People
- Smart Tourism
- Challenges of blockchain use in Smart Cities
- Real-life Use Cases
- Brooklyn Microgrid
- HOPU and PlanetWatch
- Medicalchain
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to investigate the impact of blockchain technology on improving sustainability in a smart city. It explores the emergence, structure, characteristics, and consensus mechanisms of blockchain technology, examining different blockchain types and their advantages and disadvantages. The thesis also delves into the smart city concept, its challenges, and the definition of sustainability in relation to smart cities.
- The potential of blockchain technology to enhance sustainability in smart cities
- The structure, characteristics, and consensus mechanisms of blockchain technology
- The challenges and benefits of implementing blockchain technology
- The concept of smart cities and their sustainability goals
- The application of blockchain technology in various smart city domains, such as smart environment, smart living, smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart people, and smart tourism
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the stage for the thesis by discussing the growing importance of finding innovative solutions to address environmental challenges in urban environments. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 11, are introduced as a framework for promoting sustainable smart cities. The thesis then explores blockchain technology, providing an overview of its emergence, structure, characteristics, and different types. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. Chapter 3 delves into the smart city concept, its challenges, and the significance of sustainability within this context. The research method used in the thesis is outlined in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 presents findings, focusing on the role of blockchain technology in achieving sustainability goals within smart cities. The chapter explores various domains where blockchain technology can be applied, including smart environment, smart living, smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart people, and smart tourism. It also examines the challenges associated with the use of blockchain technology in smart cities. Chapter 6 discusses real-life use cases of blockchain technology in smart cities, highlighting examples such as the Brooklyn Microgrid, HOPU and PlanetWatch, and Medicalchain.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The central keywords of this thesis include blockchain technology, smart cities, sustainability, sustainable development goals, smart environment, smart living, smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart people, smart tourism, and security vulnerabilities. These keywords encapsulate the key research focus, themes, and concepts explored within the thesis.
- Quote paper
- Anonymous,, 2022, Green Blockchain and Improvement of Sustainability in Smart Cities, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1340009
