As urban populations swell, cities face mounting crises such as traffic congestion, waste management, pollution, and parking allocation. The advent of the smart city concept offers solutions to these challenges by leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data technologies. However, developing smart city technologies is difficult for cities with different infrastructural foundations. It is crucial to determine whether all cities, regardless of size or location, can align with the smart city concept to promote social equity across regions. The digital divide between large cities and low-density areas poses significant challenges for smaller towns and rural regions, making the transition to smarter environments more complex. This research focuses on developing smart cities in low-density areas, based on a case study of the Trás-os-Montes region in northern Portugal, examining the adoption and acceptance of smart city technologies in these regions. By constructing a smart city technology acceptance model, this study investigates the factors influencing the construction of smart cities in low-density areas, aiming to contribute to the community. This project encapsulates the exploration of smart city technology’s feasibility and acceptance in less urbanized areas, highlighting the importance of bridging the digital divide to ensure equitable development across diverse regions.