Measuring Smart Sports Facility Dimensions for Smart Cities: Scale Development and Validation Using Mixed Methods, EFA and PLS-CFA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/00ma7729Keywords:
Smart city, Smart sports facility, Scale development, Exploratory factor analysis, PLS-SEM, SustainabilityAbstract
Smart sports facilities are increasingly positioned as key urban assets within smart-city agendas, yet there is no widely accepted, empirically validated instrument for benchmarking facility-level “smartness”. This study develops and validates a multidimensional measurement scale for smart sports facilities using a convergent mixed-methods design. In Phase 1, a targeted literature review and semi-structured interviews with domain experts (n = 30) generated an initial pool of 26 items. In Phase 2, exploratory factor analysis of 360 valid survey responses (from 406 distributed questionnaires) refined the instrument and supported a six-factor structure. In Phase 3, the measurement model was cross-validated via PLS-based confirmatory factor analysis (SmartPLS), and reliability and convergent/discriminant validity were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted, Fornell–Larcker, and heterotrait-monotrait ratio criteria. The final instrument comprises 18 items capturing six dimensions: Technological Integration, Sustainability, User Experience, Community Engagement, Economic Impact, and Innovation and Adaptability. The scale demonstrates acceptable internal consistency and construct validity and offers a practical tool for benchmarking, prioritizing investments, and aligning sports-infrastructure planning and operations with broader smart-city objectives. The framework operationalizes smart-city concepts at the venue scale by linking digital capability, environmental performance, and service quality with community and economic outcomes. It can support municipalities, facility operators, and policymakers in monitoring progress toward sustainability and inclusivity targets, comparing facilities across districts, and designing data-informed upgrade roadmaps. Future work should replicate the scale across countries, facility types, and stakeholder groups and test measurement invariance using longitudinal and operational sensor data.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ali Safarpour, Saeed Soltani (Author)
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