Sustainability in smart cities: Merging theory and practice

Abstract Using bibliometric analysis, this chapter examines how smart interventions are prioritized by city managers and combined in the practical realm of sustainable cities. To accomplish this goal, the authors perform a bibliometric analysis to depict the main elements describing sustainability in a smart city with reference to the three pillars, namely, people, technology, and policy; these pillars mirror one of the first contributions on the topic ( Nam & Pardo, 2011 ) as part of the debate over smart cities. Successively, the chapter moves from the evidence offered in the literature analysis to practical experiences from cities at an advanced level of development as shown in the last IESE Ranking (2019). In detail, the combination of the literature review outcomes and the observation of multiple sources on the empirical side led the authors to consider the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels as intertwined in the improvement of life conditions, services, and decision-making in cities; the interplay of elements such as people participation, a technology-supported decisional process, and governance involving an increasing number of actors enable and catalyze the achievement of sustainable outcomes in cities.