A list of 103 cities, districts and towns in China have been earmarked by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to be developed into smart cities this year.

In an effort to promote urbanization and boost the national economy at a time when China's GDP growth has experienced a recent slide, the ministry is looking to transform cities combining government investments, modern infrastructure and information technology to make them more competitive.

The ministry is calling for the listed cities to issue detailed proposals about how they will begin reconstruction within an overall design plan.

It also issued a financing plan to ensure cities have enough funds to complete their projects. In December, the ministry began a trial period for national smart cities and released an initial list of 90 cities in January of this year.