Smart City as a Mix of Technology, Sustainability and Well-Being: A Myth or Reality?

Smart city initiatives are often considered as solutions for overcoming several problems that modern cities are facing. Some of these problems refer to rapid urbanization, old infrastructure or the complexity of properly managing new technologies in cities. This complexity becomes even higher with the inclusion of sustainability and well-being. This paper examines the relationship between technology, sustainability, and well-being in the context of the smart city. The research methodology involves merging the IMD Smart City 2023 Index with the Happy City Index 2023 to identify the relation between “smartness” and “happiness”. The analysis reveals a correlation between smart city rankings and happiness rankings; however, with an important discrepancy between smart city performance and happiness when observing individual scores. Additionally, an analysis of scientific literature highlights the limited research emphasis on well-being and sustainability. The findings of the paper highlight the importance of further research in understanding the impact of technology on well-being and the need for a holistic approach that combines technology, sustainability, and well-being in the development of smart cities.