How Does Blockchain Technology Contribute to the Development and Functioning of Smart Cities?—A Scoping Review and Future Research Directions

ABSTRACT Smart cities leverage blockchain technology to increase the quality of urban life by effectively tackling the many challenges that arise from the rapid process of urbanization. Recognizing the increasing significance of the subject matter, it becomes essential to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current state of research in this domain. To do so, 79 articles from top‐tier journals were selected from the Scopus database and studied using a systematic literature review approach to identify the performance of contributing research constituents and underlying themes that map the topic. The findings of the performance analysis indicated that authors associated with American, Chinese, and Indian institutions were the primary contributors in terms of number, whileauthors affiliated with French and American institutions were the primary contributors in terms of impact. Furthermore, the findings of the science mapping analysis revealed the identification of five knowledge clusters: (1) Blockchain‐based urban mobility and transportation; (2) blockchain for secure and transparent urban governance; (3) decentralized and efficient resource management; (4) internet of things integration and data security; and (5) digital identity and access control. Based on a content analysis approach, future research avenues were determined for each of the aforementioned knowledge clusters.