CHALLENGES IN THE CONCEPT OF SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT: A BIBLIOMETRIC INSIGHT OF GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction. The article presents the results of a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on the barriers, challenges, and problems in the formation and development of smart cities.
Purpose. The purpose of the study is to determine the level of scientific development of the subject, determine the main trends, and identify leading scientific centers and journals.
Results. The information base was sourced from the Scopus database (as of January 2026). The search was conducted in the field "title, abstract, and keywords" using the keywords "barriers," "challenges," and "problems" in combination with "smart cities development". The following filters were applied: by document type (articles), source type (journals), language (English), and publication stage (final). The analysis included 347 articles published between 2018 and 2025. VosViewer was used as one of the tools to analyze the selected articles, graphically represent the results, and construct visualization maps.
The results showed that the problem under study is in a growth phase. The increase in publication activity began in 2018 (15 articles). It peaked in 2025 (96 articles), and the citation rate of studies increased from 52 citations in 2018 to 2,609 in 2025. The selected articles were cited 7,926 times during the entire study period.
It was found that, in the early stages, authors in scientific articles focused mainly on institutional aspects, public policy, multi-level governance, ICT implementation, the role of artificial intelligence and Big Data, and sustainable development issues. Subsequently, scientific discourse evolved towards human-centeredness, digital inclusiveness, ethical use of artificial intelligence, personal data protection, citizen trust, and cross-sectoral cooperation. Smart cities are increasingly seen not only as technological projects but also as comprehensive urban development strategies that require the coordination of technological, institutional, and social components.
Scientists published articles in 204 academic journals. The most significant number of articles on the subject were published in the highly ranked journal Sustainability (Switzerland), which belongs to Q1. In total, scientists published 22% of all works in the top 5 journals.
The most productive authors (at least 3 articles on the subject) come from four countries and three regions of the world – Europe, North America, and Australia. Thus, the problem under study is becoming global. In addition, the research work of scientists is not a one-time phenomenon; it is becoming systematic. Nevertheless, cooperation between scientists is not deep, and no clusters have yet been formed.
Scientists from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Africa are working on the subject under study. China, the United Kingdom, and India are the leaders in scientific productivity, which is due to the active implementation of smart city initiatives in these countries. The joint scientific achievements of scientists from these countries account for 45.5% of the total number of publications analyzed.
Keyword analysis confirmed the subject's interdisciplinary nature. The most significant clusters are centered on the keywords Smart City, Urban Growth, and Sustainable Development. These concepts are fundamental to understanding the formation and spread of smart cities and are among the most frequently used in publications. Smaller clusters are formed around the terms Sustainable City, Deep Learning, Efficiency, and Information Management. They reflect the instrumental and applied aspects of smart city development, outlining the mechanisms for their implementation and operation, as well as the challenges and barriers encountered along the way.
Originality lies in conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis, thematically focused exclusively on barriers, challenges, and problems of smart cities development. This study systematically tracks the evolution of scientific discourse in this specific thematic area, identifies geographical and authorial centers of activity, and also records a qualitative transformation of the research issues - from technologically oriented approaches to complex socio-management models.
Conclusion. The results obtained allow us to systematize the current state of research, identify dominant trends, and justify the need for further interdisciplinary research on the barriers and challenges to the development of smart cities, considering technological, social, and managerial dimensions.
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