Nowadays, urban ecosystems require major transformations aimed at addressing the current challenges of urbanization. In recent decades, policy makers have increasingly turned their attention to the smart city paradigm, recognizing its potential to promote positive changes. The smart city, through the conscious use of technologies and sustainability principles, allows for urban development. The scientific literature on smart cities as catalysts of public value continues to develop rapidly and there is a need to systematize its knowledge structure. Through a three-phase methodological approach, combining bibliometric, network and content analyses, this study provides a systematic review of the scientific literature in this field. The bibliometric results showed that public value is experiencing an evolutionary trend in smart cities, representing a challenging research topic for scholars. Network analysis of keyword co-occurrences identified five different clusters of related topics in the analyzed field. Content analysis revealed a strong focus on stakeholder engagement as a lever to co-create public value and a greater emphasis on social equity over technological innovation and environmental protection. Furthermore, it was observed that although environmental concerns were prioritized during the policy planning phase, their importance steadily decreased as the operational phases progressed.

A smart city focuses on enhancing and interconnecting facilities and services through digital technology to offer convenient services for both people and businesses. The basic infrastructure of smart cities consists of modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and artificial intelligence. These urban areas utilize different networks, such as the Internet and IoT, to share real-time information, improving convenience for the inhabitants. However, the reliance of smart cities on modern technologies exposes them to a range of organized, diverse, and sophisticated cyber threats. Therefore, prioritizing cybersecurity awareness and implementing appropriate measures and solutions are essential to protect the privacy and security of citizens. This study aims to identify cyber threats and their impact on smart cities, as well as the methods and measures required for key areas such as smart government, smart healthcare, smart mobility, smart environment, smart economy, smart living, and smart people. Furthermore, this study seeks to evaluate previous research in this field, establish necessary policies to mitigate these threats, and propose an appropriate model for the infrastructure associated with IT networks in smart cities.

In the face of growing urban problems such as overcrowding and pollution, we urgently need innovative ideas to build smarter and greener cities. Current urban development strategies often fail to address these challenges, revealing a significant research gap in integrating advanced technologies. This study addresses these gaps by integrating green technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), studying its impact on achieving smart and sustainable habitats and identifying barriers to effective use of these technologies, considering local variations in infrastructural, cultural, and economic contexts. By analyzing how AI and green technologies can be combined, this study aims to provide a vision that can be used to improve urban development planning. The results emphasize the significance of environmental responsibility and technological innovation in the development of sustainable urban environments and provide practical recommendations for improving the overall quality of life in cities through planning and urban planning.

Smart cities incorporate fundamental aspects such as sustainability and citizens’ well-being. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the feasibility and effectiveness of the implementation of an evaluation model of the transformation processes towards smart cities as a strategy to improve the state of the transformation processes in Lima, Peru. The research is descriptive and basic. A questionnaire was administered to 80 municipal officials in Lima, focusing on the variable “smart cities evaluation model”, covering three key dimensions: open data, smart public transport and energy efficiency, with a total of 15 questions and the variable “state of the transformation processes”, analysed through the dimensions of educational level of the population and municipal budget, with 10 questions. The results revealed that 48% expressed a gap in terms of the availability and quality of accessible information. 53% argued that stronger energy conservation and sustainability strategies need to be implemented. In addition, 53% felt that the education level needs to focus on improving local education systems. In conclusion, transformation processes drive economic, social and environmental development, improving the quality of life and promoting equality among citizens. This study contributes to a broader understanding of how to address these challenges in order to build more sustainable and liveable cities in the future.