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Urban innovation dilemmas: Tackling the challenges for urban growth in smart city

Author

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  • Agarwal, Vernika
  • Benmamoun, Zoubida
  • Anjum, Misbah
  • Mathiyazhagan, Kaliyan
  • Akim, Michael
  • Pironti, Marco

Abstract

The pace at which cities are getting smart creates many dilemmas in trade-offs among technological advancement, sustainability and equity. As cities adopt artificial intelligence (AI), the Metaverse and other related technologies, they face persistent challenges of governance, infrastructure, digital equality, and environmental concerns. Although research is being done on the benefits of having smart cities, information on the challenges that restrain the implementation of smart cities is still at a nascent stage. This study uses the Best-Worst Method (BWM) that is a multi-criteria decision-making instrument to evaluate key urban innovation problems as to whether they are economically, socially, environmentally and technologically sustainable. This is performed with the use of systematized knowledge management methods, i.e., expert interviews, stakeholder workshops, and regular validation of the prioritization criteria identified and ranking the most crucial issues. The research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on smart cities by providing a clear decision-making structure that places the strategies of urban innovation in the context of the philosophy of knowledge-based sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Agarwal, Vernika & Benmamoun, Zoubida & Anjum, Misbah & Mathiyazhagan, Kaliyan & Akim, Michael & Pironti, Marco, 2026. "Urban innovation dilemmas: Tackling the challenges for urban growth in smart city," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:85:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x25003847
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103194
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