Smart Cities for Sustainable Urban Development: A Framework for Emerging Economies

As the two key issues of rapid urbanization and increasing population pressure give rise to deteriorating services and infrastructure in emerging economies, smart cities based on digital technologies emerge as a possible solution. Yet the financial burden of infrastructure maintenance, informal economies, and governance-related problems often results in these smart cities’ dreams going unfulfilled in the global south. This article examines the status of innovative city development in these countries, focusing on the frameworks, motivations, and drivers for innovative city initiatives and the blocking factors that prevent their success. We conducted a systematic literature review of 56 studies from an initial total of 3928 articles in social sciences databases, providing insights into the current scenario. Through thematic synthesis and analysis, we argue that achieving technology-driven smart cities in developing nations rests on parallel changes in socioeconomic, legal, and regulatory infrastructure. Governments must ensure they can respond to citizens’ basic infrastructure needs, establish sustainable revenue sources, and create clear regulatory frameworks to mitigate technological risks and enhance human capital. Additionally, they should promote digital inclusion policies and environmental sustainability. For a smart city to become a reality, an ecosystem that supports citizen participation, start-ups, as well as public–private partnerships is needed.