ABSTRACT
Presented in this chapter are the main empirical research problems defined on the basis of the literature studies described in the first and second chapters and formulated as follows: (1) what is the scale of the unsustainability of the examined cities in the economic, technological, social and environmental area? (2) whether and to what extent the quality of life in the examined cities is influenced by: (a) their economic and financial situation, (b) size expressed in the number of residents and (c) regional geographic location defined by the provinces. Then, the principles of selecting the research sample were described. This chapter also presents the principles of the analysis of the results of surveys conducted with the use of descriptive statistics and tests diagnosing the dependence of the obtained answers on economic and financial situation and size. It also presents a case study as a research method used to analyze the extent to which smart city solutions are used in selected CEE countries.
