ABSTRACT
Participatory governance is widely viewed as an essential element of realising planned smart cities. Nonetheless, the implementation of e-participation platforms, such as the websites and mobile applications of civic authorities, often offer ambiguous information on how public voices may influence e-decision-making. This chapter aims to examine the status of participatory governance from the angle of e-participation platforms and from the broader scope of linking e-platforms to a smart city blueprint. To achieve this aim, the study focuses on shedding light on the e-governance space given to smart city realisation in a developing country context—i.e., Malaysia. The Putrajaya and Petaling Jaya smart cities of Malaysia were selected as the testbeds for the study, which used the multiple case study methodology and multiple data collection designs. The analyses were done through qualitative observations and quantitative descriptive statistics. The results reveal that the investigated smart city cases remained limited in their provision of e-decision-making space. The inefficiency of implementing planned initiatives to link the city blueprints to e-platforms was also evidenced. The study evidenced that the political culture of e-decision-making is undersized in Malaysia, which hinders the achievement of e-democracy in the smart cities’ development.
