Resumo

In recent years, the smart city concept has gained traction worldwide, inspiring actions that aim to enhance the use of natural resources, address socio-economic inequalities, and improve urban infrastructure. However, it is not uncommon to encounter the misuse of the term as a mere buzzword. Despite the widespread adoption of smart cities, the concept of wise cities has been growing from various perspectives, aiming to fill gaps in the previous concept or integrate with it (smart-wise cities) to create a more comprehensive solution for urban development.

The praxis of the smart-wise city is not an easy task, as this new paradigm is rooted in creating value and pursuing sustainability, innovation, connectivity, accessibility, mobility, collaboration, inclusion, and diversity. From this perspective, this study investigates the concept of the smart-wise city and its relationship with various urban dimensions, particularly technology, urban infrastructure, the environment, and people. This research is based on an integrative review of the literature, with a critical reflexive approach.

The increasing complexity of urban challenges has sparked interest in various fields of knowledge, such as management, architecture and urban planning, economics, entrepreneurship, and technology (Herath & Mittal, 2022). The quest for urban solutions has led to the emergence of various concepts, including digital cities, learning cities, green cities, resilient cities, wise cities, and smart cities (Janik et al., 2020). Although each concept is associated with specific urban solutions, some stand out due to their broad scope and extensive range of applications.

Although the concept is new and still immature, the theory of smart-wise cities recognizes that the true success of a city is not only in its technological infrastructure but in the quality of life and well-being of its inhabitants (Arnáiz, 2017). By prioritizing people, promoting inclusion and equity, and investing in education, science, and innovation, smart-wise cities have the potential to build more resilient and sustainable communities and cities for the future.

The primary goal of smart-wise cities is to improve the quality of life for all citizens while protecting the environment. Different from smart cities, technology is not a priority. Technologies are used as a means to achieve goals. The research agenda of this study highlights that despite the concept presenting roots aligned with sustainable development goals and concern for the future of humanity, its potential needs to be studied in depth to ensure that it is a viable urban solution and not just another buzzword.

Arnáiz, S. M. (2017). Smart City vs. Wise City. En torno a la ciudad y las nuevas tecnologías: el caso de Barcelona. Cultura, Lenguaje y Representación, 17, 139-155. Herath, H. M. K. K. M. B., and Mamta Mittal. "Adoption of artificial intelligence in smart cities: A comprehensive review." International Journal of Information Management Data Insights 2.1 (2022): 100076.