Over the past two decades, the smart city (SC) paradigm has garnered significant attention from scholars and international policymakers. As urbanization accelerates, understanding and analyzing the development trajectories of cities is crucial for shaping a sustainable global future. Urban centers are pivotal in driving environmental sustainability, social advancement, and economic growth. According to a United Nations (UN) report, in 2008, urban areas housed over 3.3 billion people, more than half the global population. This figure is projected to reach 70% by 2050, emphasizing the growing importance of megacities, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with populations exceeding 20 million.

Urbanization and Environmental Impact

As cities expand, their consumption of resources and environmental impact increase correspondingly. According to UN-Habitat, urban areas account for 78% of global energy use and over 60% of carbon emissions. Denser populations require more energy for transportation and essential services, leading to significant waste generation and the use of products that contribute to negative externalities. Enhancing natural resource reserves has been proposed as a method to bolster sustainability, emphasizing the need for cities to address social and economic challenges in a sustainable manner.

Globally, cities are exploring strategies to adapt to environmental pressures and stimulate economic growth by enhancing transportation networks, developing mixed-use zones, and improving urban services. A critical component involves establishing efficient public transport systems aligned with economic needs. Technological advancements have facilitated the development of innovative solutions for urban services, instrumental in creating sustainable smart cities (SSCs). These SSCs aim to provide sustainable and effective solutions across various domains, including energy management, transportation, healthcare, and governance, to meet urbanization and sustainability objectives.

Challenges and Reluctance

Despite the growing global adoption of the SSC concept in planning documents and national strategies, urban policymakers often hesitate to implement measures that would transition their cities into smart locales. Cities face traditional and digitalization-related challenges, such as resource depletion, deteriorating air quality, inadequate waste management, traffic congestion, and subpar infrastructure. Socioeconomic issues, including social exclusion, elevated pollution levels, ineffective climate change mitigation, stagnant urban productivity, and insufficient urban governance, also hinder the SSC concept.

Recent literature emphasizes the role of technology and computer software tools in addressing urban challenges. For instance, Leśniewski et al. highlight the importance of computer software tools in managing industrial symbiotic networks, which involve dynamic complex networks crossing natural, technical, social, and computer systems boundaries. This framework can be paralleled in SSCs, where advanced technological tools are vital for effective urban management and sustainability.

Saudi Arabia’s SSC Implementation

Given these complexities, a study was designed to refine understanding of SSC implementation by exploring the impediments to adopting SSC principles in Saudi Arabia. The specific aims of the study were to identify and rank the key barriers to SSC development in Saudi Arabia and model the interactions among these identified barriers.

Advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) have significantly benefited SSCs. Despite this progress, the full maturation of frameworks and standards for SSCs is still underway. The academic community continues to seek a universally accepted solution that comprehensively encapsulates the SSC model. Definitions of SSC vary widely, and the term is not consistently used across studies and applications. Alternatives such as “intelligent” or “digital” are often substituted for “smart,” reflecting the fluidity in conceptualizing these cities.

Barriers to SSC Development

The study identified thirty-one significant barriers across four themes: governance and legal, environmental, technology, and social and economic. These categories underscore the multifaceted challenges of SSC implementation. Key barriers include environmental sustainability concerns and governance challenges, which emerged as the most significant impediments to SSC initiatives. Identifying these barriers is crucial for developing targeted action plans that effectively address and mitigate obstacles in Saudi Arabia.

Practical implications and recommendations from the study include establishing robust governance frameworks at the national level to foster SSC integration across all sectors. This includes formulating and enforcing clear SSC guidelines compelling industries to incorporate SSC principles into their operational processes. Prioritizing environmental sustainability in urban planning and development projects is essential, with policies that incentivize green building practices, renewable energy adoption, and resource efficiency.

Global Comparisons and Contextual Differences

Comparative studies highlight that SSC development varies significantly between different regions and even within cities in the same country. For example, Barcelona’s sophisticated approach to smart city development, which includes creating a special office responsible for smart city initiatives and high citizen participation in planning, contrasts with findings from Nigerian cities, which face challenges related to integrated urban transformation, socioeconomic equity, and governance.

Understanding these contextual differences is crucial for policymakers and urban planners. It emphasizes the importance of flexible and adaptive governance structures that can accommodate the diverse needs and capabilities of different cities. For instance, research on Indian cities reveals that design and implementation of SSCs in developing countries are markedly different, with barriers including land lease issues, conflicts of interest among municipal authorities, and limited opportunities for citizen participation in city management.

Future Research and Strategic Solutions

Future research should explore the critical success factors essential for SSC growth and understand the linkages between these factors and barriers to prioritize actions for different regions based on their unique sustainability standards and challenges. Additionally, investigating the perceptions of citizens and government officials regarding different aspects of SSCs can help mitigate stakeholder resistance and enhance the success rates of SSC implementation.

Effective interventions require robust governance frameworks at the national level to foster SSC integration across sectors. Establishing clear SSC guidelines and fostering SSC awareness and commitment through sustained national and industrial initiatives are vital. Developing collaborative platforms for stakeholders to address SSC barriers collectively is recommended.

Conclusion

The pursuit of sustainable smart cities is a multifaceted challenge requiring concerted efforts from policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders. By addressing identified barriers and leveraging technological advancements, cities can evolve into sustainable urban environments that enhance the quality of life for their inhabitants. The study provides a strategic framework for advancing SSC development in Saudi Arabia and serves as a comprehensive blueprint for transforming cities into model sustainable smart cities. With targeted action plans and robust governance, the vision of sustainable urban development can be realized, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future for urban centers worldwide.

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