Tangerang City is characterized by its dense residential, commercial, and industrial activities and strategic proximity to Jakarta. This study aims to evaluate the strategic planning and implementation of innovative city initiatives in Tangerang, Indonesia, focusing on integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) big data technologies and innovation in urban development. This study has employed explanatory survey data from a structured questionnaire distributed to a diverse Tangerang community sample, including users and non-users of the “Smart City Tangerang Live” application. The survey was conducted for 2-months March to April 2022, included 71 and the sample included individuals across 13 districts, utilizing cluster sampling to ensure representativeness. The findings reveal a positive community response towards the smart city initiatives, with significant Engagement and interaction with the “Tangerang Live” application. However, technology access and usage disparities among different community segments were noted. The study highlights the critical role of intelligent technologies in transforming urban infrastructure and services, improving the quality of life, and fostering sustainable urban development in Tangerang. The implications of this study are multifaceted. For urban planners and policymakers, the results underscore the importance of strategic planning in innovative city development, emphasizing the need for inclusive and accessible technological solutions. The study also suggests potential areas for improvement in community engagement and public awareness campaigns to promote the adoption and efficient use of smart technologies.

This article explores the possibilities of developing Oman’s tourism sector under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Tourism is a cornerstone of Oman’s economy, with the government prioritizing substantial efforts toward its development to foster economic diversification. This paper examines the broader efforts of Oman to strengthen its relations with China, which will indirectly benefit the tourism industry. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the historical exchanges and future cooperation between China and Oman under BRI, specifically focusing on developing infrastructure and technology in Oman to support the tourism sector. It has been argued that BRI has the potential to significantly contribute to the growth and development of Oman’s tourism sector through increased investment and cooperation with Chinese counterparts.

Urbanization and suburbanization have led to high population growth in certain city regions, resulting in increased population density and mobility. Therefore, there is a need for a concept to address congestion, public transportation, information and communication systems, and non-motorized vehicles. Smart mobility is a concept of urban development as part of the smart city concept based on information and communication technology. Through this concept, it is expected that transportation services will be easily accessible, safe, comfortable, fast, and affordable for the community. This research aims to analyze smart mobility and its relationship with regional transportation planning and the development of South Tangerang, as well as to design a policy strategy model for the planning and development of South Tangerang with smart mobility. The research method used in this study is a mixed method, including analyzing the relationships and weighting of relationships between variables using the Cross Impact Multiplication applied to a classification (MICMAC) matrix. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with Promethee software is also used to obtain the necessary policies. The results of this research indicate that the measurement of relationships between variables shows that smart mobility influences regional transportation planning, smart mobility affects regional development, and regional planning affects regional development. This research also provides alternative policies that policymakers should implement in a specific order. First, ensure the availability of public transportation; second, improve public transportation safety; third, enhance public transportation security; fourth, improve public transportation routes; fifth, provide real-time information access; sixth, improve transportation schedules; and seventh, increase the number of bicycle lanes.

In the Indian context, financial planning for salaried individuals has gained increased importance due to economic fluctuations, rising living costs, and the need for robust retirement planning. Despite its importance, there is limited research on the specific factors that influence financial decision-making among salaried employees in India. Understanding these determinants is essential for developing effective strategies to enhance financial well-being among employees. This study explores the key factors influencing financial decision-making among employees, including financial goals, emergency savings, retirement planning, budgeting, financial confidence and literacy, financial stress, use of tax-saving instruments, income level, risk tolerance, and debt levels. A sample of 549 employees from diverse sectors in Uttar Pradesh participated in this research, highlighting the critical aspects of personal financial management that impact financial well-being. The study used a questionnaire-based survey to gather data on factors affecting financial decision-making. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses were employed to identify significant predictors. The results reveal that financial literacy, access to resources, attitudes toward retirement planning, and cultural norms significantly influence financial decisions. Additionally, income level, job stability, and social support are crucial in shaping employees’ financial planning. The study recommends enhancing employees’ financial decision-making by offering financial education programs, budgeting tools, retirement planning assistance, debt management programs, tax planning workshops, financial counselling services, and employer match programs for retirement savings. These initiatives aim to boost financial literacy and confidence, enabling employees to make informed financial decisions and improve their financial well-being.

This study explores the application of the co-design approach in participatory planning for the development of Kambo Tourism Village, located at the intersection of urban and rural areas in Indonesia. By combining the Delphi Consensus Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the study successfully identified and prioritized key aspects in the planning process, with a primary focus on local community participation. The results indicate that the co-design approach is effective in creating a masterplan that not only aligns with the needs and aspirations of the community but also supports the sustainability and inclusiveness of tourism village development. AHP results reveal that local community participation was assigned the highest priority with a weight of 0.35, followed by stakeholder collaboration with a weight of 0.27. Community participation not only contributed to the creation of a well-structured tourism village masterplan but also enhanced human resource quality and strengthened stakeholder collaboration. The impact of this participatory planning process includes increased national recognition for Kambo Village, the village’s success in receiving awards, and local economic growth. Moreover, the study identified a gap between the calculated and expected weights in the AHP process, highlighting the complexity of aligning diverse stakeholder perspectives. These findings offer both practical and theoretical contributions and open opportunities for further research to address the challenges of participatory planning in the context of tourism villages.

The success of a city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) depends on a combination of interconnected factors that foster innovation, collaboration and growth. Urban planning, infrastructure management and an entrepreneurial culture are essential factors for the success of cities’ Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs). Land use and infrastructure management create opportunities for growth and industry expansion. EEs are local, social, business, institutional and cultural stakeholders that encourage and enhance the formation and growth of new businesses, which are supported by enabling infrastructure. The objective of this study was to investigate how urban planning affects EEs in the metropolitan region, Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), South Africa. NMB is known for poor land use management, which hinders the management of diverse spatial needs, as well as bureaucratic processes for land rezoning for commercial activity. In order to better understand the fundamental issues, a qualitative case study was conducted. The data were collected from fifteen economic development role players from NMB using semi-structured interviews combined with secondary data from the NMB Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The data analysis included thematic analysis using Atlas.ti and Claude 2.0. In order to validate the findings, qualitative data were cross-referenced with secondary sources from the NMB IDP. The key themes that emerged effect the NMB metropole’s management of infrastructure to support the EE. These include, Land use issues, Poor oversight by metropolitan leadership, Lack of infrastructure maintenance and pushing out potential investment and economic growth. The results highlight that the NMB metropole fails to prioritise land use and infrastructure challenges, impacting the NMB metropolitan area’s economic development and worsening inequality among different groups. The findings from this study add to the current research on cities’ EEs and The Right to the City Theory, which supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9 and 11.