Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025
Authors: Shekoofeh Farahmand, Srdjan Redzepagic, Claude Berthomieu
Smart urban governance: a collaborative framework for sustainable and inclusive cities
The governance of smart cities is essential for addressing complex urban challenges, while advancing sustainability, and improving the quality of life for citizens. This study explores governance models for smart cities through a hybrid Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) – Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) framework, employing expert evaluations to prioritise and rank governance alternatives. The results showed Smart Urban Collaboration as the most effective governance framework, owing to its capacity to foster inclusivity and sustainability. The analysis also underlined the critical role of social inclusion in urban governance, emphasising the importance of involving diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes. Such participatory approaches are crucial for building citizens’ trust and collaboratively developing innovative solutions to urban challenges. Sustainability was identified as the next priority, highlighting the need for such urban governance frameworks to tackle environmental issues like climate change and resource scarcity. Smart cities can move towards sustainable development goals by strategically utilizing technology in stakeholders’ involvement. This work offers practical recommendations and insights for policymakers, urban planners, and academics aimed at creating urban environments that are resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.
https://doi.org/10.37043/JURA.2025.17.2.2
Key words: smart urban governance; sustainability; social inclusion; participatory urban planning; technological innovation; AHP-TOPSIS.Full text