Exploring sustainable smart cities from the Middle East and North Africa perspective

Abstract

It is anticipated that the growth pattern of the populace in urban regions will be greater in the first thirty years of the 21st century in comparison to the accumulative urban development patterns seen in previous data gathered from around the world. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the region that constitutes developing countries. Most are rapidly urbanizing populations expected to get doubled by the end of 2030. Although many of the major countries in the Middle East like, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc., are becoming aware of their rapidly coupling populace, both natives and expatriates, and are shifting towards technology and competitiveness paving their way forward in streamlining their future potential to facilitate sustainability through digitalization. This will help in laying out a baseline development framework for other urban countries in MENA region for transformation into smart cities utilizing the successful models as guidelines for moving towards smartness. This study aimed to understand the key elements of successful smart city initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as a sample to explore various factors challenges and strategies in planning out smart cities in the MENA region. The study used two-fold methodology of Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and Case studies in achieve the research goals. The study outlined key elements of technological advancement, Infrastructure development, Education and Expertise, Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Economy alternatives for transformation to Smart City. The study discussed strategies of Research, Innovation, Policy and Decision-making, Urban design, Technology and adeptness of the model according to the region as centric to the planning of smart cities.