Smart city concept: Integrating technology into municipal governance

The article highlights the basics of the Smart City concept. The author considers general theoretical approaches to its understanding and analyzes the constituent elements of this phenomenon. The author systematizes statistical data on Smart Cities and theoretical foundations. The analysis of these factors made it possible to identify the advantages and disadvantages of Smart Cities. In addition to identifying them, the author of the article proposed specific steps to overcome or minimize their impact on the safety and life of citizens. The article also focuses on specific examples of European cities and analytical data on the advantages of certain smart projects. The work emphasizes that Ukrainian initiatives within the framework of the Smart Cities concept are promising, but fragmentized. The novelty lies in citing specific initiatives taken as an example of implementation in European cities with statistically proven effectiveness and their application in Ukraine. The author also takes into account those elements that are already functioning and those that need to be expanded. In addition, attention is focused on those initiatives that are not yet fully functioning in Ukraine. The author paid special attention to the importance of implementing the Smart Cities Concept in the post-war reconstruction of the country