Examining the Challenges of Smart Cities and the Necessity of Establishing Good Governance

Abstract

The smart city is a thought-provoking concept that has garnered increasing attention from academic communities and citizens in recent years. This concept presents new horizons in urban planning and governance for urban managers, decision-makers, and policy-makers. However, like any phenomenon, it faces several challenges that must be addressed to show how urban governance is necessary in smart cites. The overall aim of this research is to present the challenges of smart city formation within the context of urban governance and to explain the necessity of establishing good governance for the management of smart cities. This research, after describing the theoretical foundations, dimensions, and components of a smart city, raises the challenges facing the smartening of cities in Iran. Using the Delphi technique and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and drawing on the opinions of 15 experts, it addresses the necessities of creating a good governance model in smart cities. This research is applied-developmental in terms of purpose and mixed (quantitative and qualitative) in terms of nature, with a descriptive-documentary-survey method of implementation. The results indicate that there are five main challenges facing the creation of a smart city, including economic, educational, technical, governmental, and policy challenges. Considering the explanation of the characteristics of good urban governance, it is necessary for this governance to serve as a way to control and improve conditions for readiness to smarten cities and as an effective solution for the sustainable development of smart cities.