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(12) Writing access
Blockchain is recommended when all the entities and users have to write transactions into the system.
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The Word Economic Forum model (2018) considers it critical to the application of blockchain. The
multistakeholder complexity of smart city initiatives requires to be more specific and to link this question
directly to the degree of trust among the participants and anonymity in blockchain. The requirement of
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shared writing access is mitigated among the uses-cases. Some studies showed that in the context of smart
city initiatives, shared writing access is the most important criteria if there are multiple parties involved.
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These parties might assume similar roles or different roles (e.g. readers/writers/validators). This condition
is critical in the decision to adopt blockchain. It will also define the type, design and network architecture
of blockchain for each situation.
(13) Good performance for the transactions
Blockchain performance is presented as one of the main challenges of the applicability of blockchain.
It also impacts the scalability and performance. It is considered as a temporary challenge that is being
monitored carefully. Experts are emphasizing that the performance is no longer an issue, and the benefits
of blockchain are overcoming its temporary challenges. Consequently, the need for good performance of
the transaction does not constitute a barrier to the applicability of blockchain technology for cities, but it
depends on the numbers of users. However, it will help to define the design of the blockchain architecture
if some properties of the permissioned and permissionless blockchains are contrasted.
(14) If it is necessary to record non-transactional data
Blockchain is recommended when the lack of trust is related to the storage of transaction records. The
parties cannot trust the others to always accurately record and report events which explain the need to
log non-transactional data systematically. More than half of the cases consider it necessary to record
non-transactional data. However, if the storage of non-transactional data is required, it is not advisable to
use blockchain. Recent progress in research and development demonstrated that blockchain could also
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record non-transactional data such as title records, trademark and patent information, minutes of meetings,
calendar of entries, annual reports and travel log etc. Even though it is not highly recommended to use
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blockchain for non-transactional data due to the risk of reaching maximum memory, it remains possible.
This concern is addressed, and research on blockchain showed that it is possible to add a data layer to
the blockchain.
These 14 blockchain dimensions refer to three different aspects of blockchain suitability: the process, the
design and the technology. Despite these dimensions being commonly used in different decisions models
and trees, it can be deduced from Table 9 that none of the cases fully complies with the 14 selected
variables. Does this mean that blockchain is not the right technology for these use-cases? The answer is “no”.
Research about blockchain technology is continuously progressing. With regard to the suitability of
blockchain for cities, it can be concluded that there is a large span of applicability and opportunity for this
innovative technology.
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