Role, Objectivity, and Applicability of the Sustainable Development and Smart City’s Indicators

The global struggle for the positioning of cities in relation to their role in a certain spectrum of observation has always been an expression of power and prestige. Traditional confrontations between cities are often more than an economic or cultural duel and enter into the spheres of geopolitical power. The establishment of new models of urban development, which in the last three decades strive to become sustainable, resilient, smart, and responsible, did not lead to a decrease in such rivalries. This paper will not be addressing sustainable development and smart city initiatives themselves in certain areas, but rather the general correlation of the usage of those terms in the cities’ rankings and the meanings behind them. Also, it will deal with the diversity and sometimes disproportion of the indicators of sustainable and smart city development in different urban regions (all of which show significantly different conditions and backgrounds) to understand the possible shortcomings of such an approach to cities’ development. Through the overview of the results of the most commonly used ranking systems worldwide, the aim is to show the subordinate position of less and underdeveloped cities and the favorable position of the cities that are an embodiment of today’s capital and power.