Smart cities in turbulent times: Trust, privacy concerns, and citizens' data sharing

This study examines how citizens' willingness to share personal data can become a strategic lever for the digital transformation and sustainable development of smart cities in contexts characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic exemplify how turbulent conditions accelerate the use of digital technologies while emphasizing the importance of trust, privacy protection, and social cohesion as foundations of urban resilience. The research investigates whether the openness to data disclosure observed during emergencies can extend to long-term smart city initiatives aimed at enhancing collective well-being. Based on a survey of Chinese citizens in Wuhan analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings provide support for the mediating role played by trust in governmental and private organizations' data management between data-sharing intentions during crises and the willingness to disclose information for smart city development. Trust in government data management was found to reduce privacy concerns, while heightened privacy concerns weaken the positive effect of crisis-induced data sharing on subsequent trust. The study contributes to the debate on innovative urban planning by linking trust and privacy with digital transformation, and provides policy insights for designing inclusive, and resilient smart cities that enhance social well-being.