Smart services adoption for sustainable development: Citizen perceptions, challenges, and evidence from Vlora, Albania

In recent years, due to the technological advancement and transformation changes, the concept of the smart city has emerged as one of the most promising approaches in addressing contemporary urban challenges and development. Spurred by the rapid population growth in several urban areas, environmental pressures, and rising demands for efficient public services, cities worldwide are adopting integrated models that leverage technology to enhance economic growth, sustainability, governance, and quality of life. While developed countries have advanced more rapidly in this transition, developing countries such as Albania face distinct infrastructural, technological, cultural and institutional barriers. Nevertheless, small and medium-sized cities possess considerable potential to adopt smart urban models, particularly where tourism, community participation, and institutional adaptability serve as key drivers of transformation. This paper examines the case of Vlora City as a representative context for exploring smart city adaptation in Albania. Combining theoretical background with empirical evidence, the study employed a structured questionnaire administered to 292 individuals to assess citizens? knowledge and awareness, attitudes and use, and the perceptions regarding smart services. The findings reveal that familiarity with technology-supported services positively influences citizens' attitudes and intention to use e-government and smart services, while concerns over data security create a significant negative effect. Trust in smart technologies emerges as a key mediating factor, strengthening the positive influence of familiarity and mitigating the negative impact of security concerns on citizens' usage intentions. These results position trust as a central mechanism shaping smart city adoption in Vlora, reinforcing the view that sustainable urban development in the digital era depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on citizen engagement, institutional credibility, and participatory governance, which are important for building resilient, inclusive, and adaptive urban systems in developing contexts. The findings contribute to a multidimensional perspective on the opportunities and limitations shaping intelligent urban transformation in Vlora, situating smart development within the broader trajectory of sustainable urban and economic growth in developing contexts.