Smart City

A Smart City is a participatory and sustainable urban management approach that aims to enhance the quality of life for citizens and improve the efficiency of public services through innovative and integrated use of information and communication technologies (ICT). This approach goes beyond technological transformation alone; it represents a multidisciplinary transformation encompassing social, environmental, economic, and governance dimensions. A Smart City seeks to enable all components of the city—from physical infrastructure to digital systems, human capital to governance models—to interact interactively, data-driven, and flexibly.

According to definitions in national and international documents, the concept of a Smart City necessitates the establishment of an effective governance structure to meet the demands of rapid urbanization, population density, and rising consumption needs. Within this framework, a Smart City represents a vision that supports broad collaboration among public institutions, the private sector, and citizens; transforms digital infrastructure into social benefit; and prioritizes sustainable development.

Core Rationale and Objectives of the Approach

The imperative to compete globally and sustainably ensure the well-being of urban residents drives cities to develop technology-based innovative solutions. However, this transformation requires not only technological investment but also the holistic, systematic, and collaborative restructuring of existing urban systems. Traditional silo-based governance models prove inadequate in addressing this complexity, leading cities to require more agile, flexible, and collaborative systems.

The Smart City approach offers a comprehensive solution model arising from this need. It aims to reflect all current and future urban challenges and expectations across all urban spaces and systems, integrate physical, social, and digital planning, and resolve problems in an agile and sustainable manner. Simultaneously, it fosters interaction among urban organizations to encourage innovation and integrated service production.

Normative Foundations and International Approaches

According to the European Parliament, a city can be considered “smart” if it demonstrates innovative initiatives in at least one or several of the following six dimensions:

• Smart Governance
• Smart People
• Smart Living
• Smart Mobility
• Smart Economy
• Smart Environment

Smart City Applications in Türkiye

Although the Smart City approach in Türkiye has not yet reached institutional maturity, applications are increasingly widespread in major cities. Investments in Smart City initiatives are ongoing in areas such as transportation, infrastructure, energy management, and digital public services in cities including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Kayseri, Trabzon, and Gaziantep. The 2020–2023 National Smart Cities Strategy and Action Plan establishes the institutional framework for this field and guides implementing actors.

Contributions of Smart Cities

Smart City applications contribute to more efficient use of natural resources, reduction of environmental impacts, and lowering of cities’ carbon footprints. Data-driven decision-making processes enhance the effectiveness of public services while increasing interaction and participation between citizens and municipal mechanisms. Additionally, digitalization of infrastructure and transportation systems improves speed and security in service delivery.