Building security and resilience: a guide to implementing effective cybersecurity and data protection measures in smart cities

Purpose As cities increasingly embrace smart technologies to enhance efficiency, sustainability and quality of life, integrating cybersecurity and data protection measures becomes paramount. This paper analyzes cybersecurity and data protection practices based on the existing strategies and projects in smart cities. Design/methodology/approach A research methodology involving searching for resources, content analysis and the Delphi method was developed to select the sample of smart cities, identify relevant resources, analyze and categorize their content, validate their relevance and transform them into a list of recommendations. Findings The findings include a validated list of 39 recommendations categorized into 6 categories for implementing robust cybersecurity and data protection measures in smart cities. We found that smart cities employ various measures to address cybersecurity and data protection, including technical solutions, organizational practices, policies and human resources initiatives. The smart economy and smart governance components are prioritized regarding data protection and cybersecurity measures, while smart living and smart environments receive less attention than others. There are regional differences in the implementation of cybersecurity measures, with Asia and Europe demonstrating higher levels of engagement. Originality/value The paper provides an approach to select sample smart cities and analyze their strategies and projects in different contexts to gather and validate best practices. The measures identified contribute to building sustainable and resilient cities regarding urban governance.