Smart City Implementation Framework for Developing Countries: The Case of Egypt

Abstract

Current smart city frameworks and models are not enough to fulfill the requirements of developing countries in order to face their challenges in applying the smart city concept due to weak integration of social, economic, and political needs, and lack of a holistic and integrated approach to sustainable city development. In addition, most of the developing countries lack the proper means for implementation, proper infrastructures, enough funding, sufficient economic growth, and political stability. Moreover, the challenges that can prevent the success of such a concept are poverty, inequality, cultural barriers, and the continual rise of slums and unplanned immigration from rural areas to cities.

This chapter recommends a “strategic implementation framework for smart city” tailored for developing countries such as Egypt. This general framework aims to assist different successive governments in countries such as Egypt to develop and maintain smart city strategies that help sustainable development of the country instead of building separate isolated cities that cannot face different political, economic, social, and environmental challenges.