Urban Facility Management Improving Livability through Smart Public Spaces in Smart Sustainable Cities

Abstract

Public spaces play a significant role in improving social, recreational and cultural activities that are inclusive. However, smart public spaces are required to save time and costs, and to provide comfort to the public, ultimately enhancing livability. There are various user requirements and demands to respond to. This research aims to adopt intelligent technologies applied in public spaces to facilitate livability through urban facility management (UFM) involvement in improving livability. The establishment of intelligent systems in the architecture industry goes hand in hand with the growing advancement of science and technology in several aspects of human life. A fundamental key to the success of smart cities is the high quality of livability offered to their residents and visitors. The UFM can enable livability by providing data centers, access controls, integrated security systems, monitoring, smart waste, energy and water management in public spaces. This study focused on five elements of livability, including accessibility, functional infrastructure, interaction and social cohesion, amenity and participation, quality of life through safety and security and privacy. The research methodology adopts the activity theory (AT) as its underpinning theory for the qualitative data collection process (interviews and a workshop) from industry experts in two prominent smart cities in Qatar, Lusail and Msheireb, along with a literature review. This study’s results provide information on existing smart city and public space features, infrastructures and their impact on livability. The findings of this study support the development of the smart livable public spaces (SLiPS) framework. The framework is a baseline for improving livability in smart cities, which allows future updates based on existing ICT infrastructure, enabling new functions and the availability of novel technology applied by UFM. The outcome of livability leads to the achievement of smart city goals.

1. Introduction

The word smart city was initially devised at the start of the nineties from the economic perspective mainly to highlight an urban development that is reliant on innovation, globalization and technological aspects [1]. Nevertheless, the term smart city has become more prevalent in the last decade, particularly in the urban planning field. However, the approaches and definitions are still varied. The name has been used with very many diverse meanings during the last decade, and the concept risks becoming a different “urban label” [2]. It is an uncertain concept, frequently misused [3]. Despite the vast body of literature and studies on this subject, it is hard to uncover an appropriate and a common meaning for the term smart city [4,5]. It has been highlighted by Giffinger et al. [4] that the term is used for numerous traits that range from a smart city as an IT district to a smart city concerning education or the smartness of its citizens. Many scholars have tried to put together a common idea of a “smart city” and to “bring order” amid the diverse definitions of the smart city concept. Moreover, over the last decade, a new wave of definitions of the term “Smart City” has surfaced [6]. This new wave emphasizes creativity, social inclusion, human capital, learning and governance. With the varied types of foundation of the concept of a smart city, the core meaning of the label has become unclear and is used in inconsistent ways [6]. Despite the absence of an ordinary meaning of the term smart city, the sectors whose identification is well recognized in the scientific literature are documented as follows: smart people, smart economy, smart governance, smart environment, smart mobility and smart living [4,7,8,9].

The term smartness in urban planning fundamentally means efficient urban management. It identifies specific strategic policies which facility management adopts to differentiate new policies and development programs in cities. They associate smart to successful projects with sustainable development, the prosperity of economics and the improvement in livability for the people. As more than half of the population in the world lives in cities, and with the great possibility of this number further increasing in the future, it is essential to ensure that cities continue to provide social benefits for the people’s well-being and the city’s sustainability [10]. The concept of livability becomes more crucial for those who live in cities and their quality of life. The main goal of the UN Human Settlement Program is to motivate more initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of life and promoting citizens’ involvement in urban environments. To define it, livability refers to the satisfactory state of people with their lives; liveable cities are places with adequate living spaces and social and clean natural environments. Urban facilities management (UFM) is considered to be a new alignment with facility management (FM) [11]. The introduction of UFM adapts the principles of FM from a building level (Micro) to a city level (Macro), wherein the city is seen as the facility. This concept creates an efficient foundation to manage the urban environment properly. This harbors concepts like urban development, planning and policy, governance, public transportation and others to promote public participation and sustainable development. The role of the UFM in this field allows for a flexibility that enables a new and innovative integration of the private and public sectors to benefit society. The process of managing urban development addresses social, environmental and economic problems through adequate and integrated planning of long-term strategies that combine different aspects of a smart city; the city would be able to understand and govern problems through innovative technological solutions [12]. Furthermore, cities like London seek to enhance the quality of life by creatively utilizing modern technologies and exploring new ways of bringing people, data and technology together [6]. The UFM in this case plays an essential role in practicing new innovative strategies to improve livability in cities, and especially in smart public spaces. This paper aims to study the smart technologies applied in public spaces that are linked to the infrastructure to improve livability. It further seeks to explore the level of involvement of UFM in improving livability through adopting innovative features and ultimately supporting sustainable city goals. This study adopted qualitative data collection and analysis by adopting the activity theory (AT) as the underpinning theory for the research. The methodology involved data collection from industry experts from two prominent smart cities in Qatar, Msheireb and Lusail. Also, a literature review was conducted to support the study findings. Moreover, the findings include a developed framework for smart livable public spaces (SLiPS), demonstrating the link between management involvement (operation level), infrastructure, intelligent features and their impact on improving livability and supporting sustainable smart city goals (action level) for the users (activity level).

2. Literature Review

2.1. Smart Cities and Public Spaces

Despite becoming a controversial topic of discussion at the current time, the term “Smart City” originates back to the late 1990s as an integral part of the “smart growth movement” [6]. The term gained wider popularity after being adopted by multiple international technology corporations, including IBM, Cisco and Siemens. The central focus of these global corporations is managing urban infrastructure and services, effectively using information and communication technologies (ICTs). The term has evolved to harbor any form of technology-driven innovation in the management and operation of cities [6]. Criticism by other scholars like Holland [2] soon emerged, questioning the motive of these corporations in alignment with city-making, resulting in reshaping the conceptual basis of smart cities and concluding with several definitions of the term smart city. By now, technology has made its way into people’s lives, the built environment and public spaces; including a collection of intelligent sensors, gadgets, GPS, smart homes, smart health, smart education, smart buildings and smart mobility, changing the way people live and interact with their surroundings. Furthermore, IBM has identified the smart city as an instrumented, interconnected and intelligent city that indicates the city’s capability in terms of real-time data integration through sensors, meters, intelligent appliances and personal devices. Interconnectedness is defined as effective data integration with computer platforms, allowing for information flow through various city services [6]. The heavy emphasis on technology and instrumented approaches neglects the role of the community and civil society, who shape the cities through their interactions. Ultimately, this would drive the definitions of smart cities to be more humanized. Investments undertaken in social development and infrastructure fuel the city’s sustainable growth and enhance the quality of life [5]. This description is considered the most comprehensive as it incorporates the role of ICTs, quality of human lives and social capital.

Furthermore, Herath and Mittal [13] identified intelligent devices’ involvement in the smart city’s different domains, as presented in

Table 1. Involvement of intelligent devices in different smart city domains—Source: [13].

Smart City Domain	Description	Involvement
Smart mobility	An innovative mobility network is a network of intelligent transportation and mobility	Traffic management, autonomous and sustainable mobility, supply chain resiliency, smart routing and parking
Smart Education	Smart education is a learning paradigm tailored to the needs of emerging digital native generations	Smart classroom, virtual reality-based learning platforms, student tracking management, learning tools for special needs students, smart library
Smart Healthcare	Smart healthcare is a healthcare delivery method that uses wearable tech, IoTs and mobile Internet to constantly access data and connect people, resources and institutions	Smart hospital, telemedicine, tele-nursing, smart healthcare tracking, e-health record, patient monitoring, pandemic predictions
Smart environment	The concept of creating an environment with integrated sensors, displays and computer devices to let people better comprehend and manage their environment	Air quality monitoring, weather monitoring, waste management, water management, smart irrigation, photovoltaics
Smart governance	Smart governance is the application of technology and innovation to improve decision-making and planning in governing organizations	E-governance, decision-making policies, disaster prevention and management, urban planning
Smart living and Infrastructures	Smart living is an approach that uses the city’s infrastructure while simultaneously enhancing people’s quality of life	Smart building, smart home, smart education, smart tourism, smart policing
Smart Economy	A smart economy is an economy centered on technical innovation, sustainability, a high level of social well-being and resource efficiency as factors for success	Smart business, e-commerce, retail, smart shopping, peer-to-peer marketplace, peer-to-peer labor services, smart supply chains, smart sharing services

.

2.2. Livability in a Smart Environment

As the main focus of this paper, livability falls under the smart city domain of “Smart Living and Infrastructure,” as presented in Table 1. The smart living and infrastructure domain deals with harmonizing an adequate, comfortable environment that guarantees the presence of all required facilities and services [14]. Furthermore, a smart environment can also contribute to the achievement of liveable cities. It relates to the protection of the environment, waste management and sustainable energy competitiveness. The word “livability” is an unmeasurable characteristic; quantitatively measuring the quality of life in an intelligent public city space is impossible [15]. Cities are becoming the principal environment for living and working; therefore, livability and high quality of life have become critical. Adopting a more sustainable positive behavior in a city’s way of life and management leads toward achieving livable future cities [15]. The definition of a livable city is a place wherein citizens like to live and can afford a living. Furthermore, it describes the frame of conditions by which a decent and proper life is provided for all residents and visitors of the city, including physical and mental well-being. The term livability is based on the principles of smart and sustainable cities, and therefore, it is sensitive to nature and the protection of its resources. The foundations of the idea of “livability” in urban liveable cities, originate from Jacobs’ “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, where Jacob believed that good cities motivate and encourage social interactions [16]. Based on Jacobs’ ideas, other scholars have defined the concept of livability as the city being liveable in terms of public health, comfort and a beautiful living environment [17]. Moreover, Douglass [18] associates livability with the environment and human well-being. The easy access to work and recreational spaces and infrastructure that enable a healthy lifestyle for the people in these public spaces is considered necessary, as per Evans’ study [19]. Researchers have explored many concepts and elements of livability over the years;

Table 2. Livability elements/dimensions.

#	Reference	Element/Dimension of Livability
1	[17,20,21]	Comfort, convenience, beauty
2	[22]	Natural environment, neighborhood relationships, community location
3	[18,20]	Environment (fresh air, adequate clean water, ability to deal with garbage, less poverty, improved employment) and human well-being (access to educational and healthcare infrastructure, access to public open space, social connection)
4	[19,23]	Easy access to working and recreational areas, infrastructure, green space
5	[20,21]	Functional infrastructure, accessible parks and interesting cultural activities and identity, sense of community
6	[20]	Attractive pedestrian-oriented public realm
7	[21]	Freedom and autonomy, influence and respect, purpose and expression
8	[23,24]	Improving transportation
9	[20,21,25]	Interaction, social cohesion and human physical activity
10	[26]	Increasing accessibility to public open space, environmental issues
11	[23,27]	Fairness, dignity, accessibility, amenity, participation and right of authority
12	[27]	Fairness of access to green space, basic services infrastructure, citizen mobility and participation in decision-making
13	[20,21,23]	Quality of life, health, sense of safety, security and privacy, cost of living, air quality

presents the key elements frequently discussed in the literature.

The focus of this paper in terms of livability aligns most with points 4, 5, 9, 11, 12 and 13; functional infrastructure, interactions, social cohesion, access to basic service infrastructure, participation and right of authority and quality of life (Table 2). It is necessary to identify the implications and actions taken by the public and private sectors with a special focus on UFM to ensure the livability, sustainability and welfare of the people living in a smart city. Innovative technology plays a significant role in supporting the future sustainability of a city, especially in its public spaces.

2.3. Technology, the Infrastructure and FM

“Sustainable cities work towards an environmentally, socially and economically healthy and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same” [28]. Sustainable city development depends on many factors, including the partnership between the public and private sectors to facilitate the building process of the required infrastructure. This partnership with the emerging global economy is vital to drive toward urban sustainability. An active participation from the government will be necessary to provide the required infrastructure and the regulatory framework to bring up sustainable smart cities; this would heavily support the private organizations in the transition and implementation of new innovative and sustainable solutions, especially in public spaces. The participation of the government also includes public goods, transportation networks, waste management, parts, smart grids and more to stimulate changes on organizational and individual levels [28]. Furthermore, following the “hot” wave of digital transformation revolutions in smart cities around the world, it has become vital to adequately manage cities in public spaces to ensure the city’s livability and a high quality of life for its citizens [29].

In the current times, it is apparent that every citizen has easy access to the web and uses the Internet through smart portable devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., and generates numerous amounts of real-time data. Moreover, a city may become an information hub that gives and receives information through storing, displaying and using real-time data. The utilization of smart technology to solve problems will enable fast, sustainable development in smart cities [15]. Many cities around the world have adopted the use of smart technology in different city domains, such as traffic, energy, water, etc., which ultimately aided in resolving environmental and social problems. Furthermore, one of the smart city visions and goals is to manage the city through smart technologies effectively. Real-time information is processed in operational centers relating to smart city domains. The operation systems running on an urban level are controlled by major urban facility management that enables engineering. However, the contribution of the citizens and visitors who live in a city and are actively using technological advancements using their smartphones and other smart devices is what makes a city smart, not just the intelligent features connected to the infrastructure. The users are the key initiatives in the development of a city as a smart city.

The base of a smart city is composed of users, technology, infrastructure, databases, innovation, education, city government and inclusiveness. Modern cities’ infrastructure includes a telecommunication network; this smart infrastructure is used for the purposes of analysis and interaction between devices such as sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), where the most essential element is the database. Objects within these systems interact and exchange data with each other. Furthermore, specific devices interact with each other using the Internet and the web controlled by smartphones or machine-to-machine devices. The establishment of an intelligent infrastructure system in a city needs an initiative and investment by the city government and authorities who would need to recognize the long-term benefit of this approach. A smart city should be a self-sustainable system that includes all elements of each stage of its development.

• Lessons Learned from Singapore

Public spaces management in Singapore is divided into two types; type 1 includes governmental agencies establishing standards and guidelines for urban planning, development control and preservation, while Land Transport Authority, Land Authority, The National Parks Board, Public Utilities Agency and Building Construction Authority shape the high-quality, safe, friendly and sustainably built and public environments [29]. Furthermore, while some types of public environment are managed by a certain agency, some others are managed by multiple agencies such as plazas and squares. The public space management in Singapore is considered to be very efficient due to several factors, including the establishment of strict rules and regulations with a heavy penalty system, good role demarcation and efficient coordination and communication among involved stakeholders, in addition to the support of the extensive use of advanced ICT solutions as an integral part of Singapore’s “Smart Nation” model that is heavily promoted. The second type of management in Singapore includes the involvement of both public and private agencies. Public agencies (government) can implement rules and guidelines on the private sector such as the “URA” that strictly requires privately owned public spaces (POPSs) to be accessible to all users of all needs, to have connected pedestrian routes and streets to all facilities, to have barrier-free environments adhering to universal design guidelines to ease circulation, to not be enclosed or fenced and always be accessible for the public. Furthermore, the government in this case is aware of the POPSs’ locations, configuration, safety, size, comfort, amenities and other aspects. From the private agency’s side, they must ensure security, zero impact on retail and the smooth operations of other business activities.

Moreover, in terms of technology adoption, the extensive utilization of CCTV cameras in Singapore supports the management and monitoring of public spaces [29]. Other forms of utilization of technological advancements in public spaces are very notable. The smart city model in Singapore empowers and motivates authorities to manage the assets in the city and specifically in public spaces intelligently, and further helps urban designers and planners to design the city in a better way to facilitate meeting the users’ needs. Furthermore, other technological advancements include Internet of Things (IoT) and big data that allow for the remote collection of data from the users to the cloud for processing and suggesting on-time solutions or future enhancements. Ahmad et al. [30] agree that smart features can enhance time and cost efficiency in smart cities. Wireless sensor networks have been utilized in some public areas to collect information and detect noise and motion. This helps urban public and private agencies, planners and developers to better understand the functionality of a public space and to ultimately better improve and manage it. These sensors have been located in different areas in the city such as parks, playgrounds, gateways and more to enable the collection of quantitative data for enhanced decision-making and future improvements.

Another interesting point to look at in Singapore is the participation of the users in the management of the smart public spaces. An initiative was launched by the government called “Our Favorite Place” to encourage the people to participate in the city’s management. Those who actively participate help in the protection and management of the space within their neighborhood. This creates some sort of ownership for the people. In terms of ICT applications, another initiative was launched that included offering users a smartphone with a pre-installed user-friendly application that collects the users’ data for further analysis. The users would be asked questions about the spaces they use the most, how they use them, how often they visit them, their perceptions, alternative uses for the space that increase livability, suggestions and recommendation to modify/enhance the spaces. All these collected data provide an insight from the users’ perspectives to better understand and manage public spaces [29].

3. Research Methodology

This study adopted a qualitative data collection and analysis method, as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore, it adopted the activity theory (AT) as the underpinning theory for the research. According to Hashim and Jones [31], the activity theory uses activities as the primary unit of analysis, whereas the activities are broken down into analytical components, including subject, tool and object. The person/group of people studied is the “Subject”, the activity is the “Object” and the mediating device used to execute the action is the “Tool”. The (AT) identifies the integration of technology with social actions as the tool and mediator; such as signs, machines, computers, etc. Furthermore, it can be viewed as a hierarchal system that comprises actions or chains of actions, and these actions are included in the operations. The activity will have a motive, the action will have a goal and the operation will have conditions; this theory is later reflected in the outcome of this paper. This research aims to study the smart technologies linked to the infrastructure applied i public spaces to improve livability. It further seeks to explore the level of involvement of urban facility management (FM) in improving livability through adopting innovative features and ultimately supporting sustainable city goals.

The methodology involved data collection through interviews with industry experts from two prominent smart cities in Qatar, Msheireb and Lusail (

Table 3. Interviews and workshop participants.

	Organization Type	Participants	Years of Experience	Interviews (Infrastructure, Smart Features and Livability)	Workshop (Framework Development and Validation)	No. of Interviews
P. 1	Msheireb Smart City Facility Management—Doha	- 2 FM Managers	20–30	X	X	4 (1 h each)
		- 1 ICT Engineer/Manager	5–10	X	X
		- 2 Engineers (contractor)	5–10	X
P. 2	Lusail Smart City Facility Management—Doha	- 1 FM Manager	15–20	X	X	1 (1 h)
		- 1 FM Engineer - 1 ICT Specialist	5–10	X
	Total	8 Participants				5 Interviews

). The interviews aimed at identifying general smart city information, the utilization of ICT to improve livability, the definition of the term “Smart” in the context of the FM’s organizational goals and strategies and the smart features in each city. Also, a literature review was conducted to support the study findings. Moreover, a workshop was conducted to develop a framework for smart livable public spaces (SLiPS), demonstrating the link between management involvement (operation level), infrastructure, smart features and their impact on improving livability and supporting sustainable smart city goals (action level) for the users (activity level). The workshop included the participation of 2 architects in facility management and 2 architects/research experts in the same field. The participants organized the deducted criteria and data from the interviews and literature to develop the framework. The completed framework was reviewed by all participants for validation based on a loop review process and it was aligned with the SMART concept. The validation was based on the specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound SMART concept. During the validation process, the smart city goals and breaking the smart features into two levels were encouraged to be added by the workshop participants. The workshop session lasted 30–45 min to develop and validate the SLiPS framework.

Msheireb city is strategically located at the heart of Doha, Qatar; it is a downtown regeneration project that is located a few minutes away from Doha Corniche and Hamad International Airport. Also, the Lusail smart city is a short distance away from Msheireb to the North. Both cities are situated in the busiest area in the country, next to the sea, offering adequate natural ventilation and atmosphere attracting tourists and residents alike for daily recreational activities, work and living.

4. Data Analysis and Workshop

Data were collected from the introduced smart cities in Qatar; Msheireb and Lusail. This study adopted the activity theory (AT) as the underpinning theory, and the data were collected, analyzed and deducted in a hierarchical approach to prepare them for integration in the framework during the workshop.

4.1. Data Analysis

Lusail city, also known as “Qatar’s Future City”, is being developed by the Qatari Diar company. To support people’s lifestyles and a country’s economic prosperity, the latest information technology trends and tools are employed. To offer advanced services, Lusail aims to provide a switched-on, high-technology environment comprising both wired and wireless communication networks. The city’s residents, business community and visitors will have a diversity of communication amenities that will allow them to access any network from any place and at any time. Lusail city spreads across an area of 38 square km and includes four exclusive lands and 19 multi-purpose residential, mixed-use, entertainment and commercial districts. The total assessed population of Lusail will eventually reach 450,000 people. The city includes numerous residential units, office buildings of various sizes and 22 hotels with different international star ratings, making it an element of attraction for investment in Qatar.

Figure 2 illustrates part of Lusail’s smart amenities. The Lusail Command Control Center (LCCC) is the heart of the Lusail smart city, where all smart services management and monitoring is centralized. The LCCC is made of two main functional components: a world-class situation room used as an operation center (OC) and a highly sophisticated data center (DC). The operation center offers a central monitoring and management amenity for all smart services all over Lusail city. It is a room built according to the highest standards of operation centers. Operators of all smart services are present in the situation room. The operations and maintenance team makes sure that the data center is working to its maximum capability. The necessary processing, networking and storage requirements for all smart services are provided by the data center, with built-in flexibility to expand and to cater to the demand of any additional smart services and disaster recovery plans (

Table 4. Smart services at Lusail—Source: [33].

Telecom Service	Non-Telecom Services	Value-Added Services
Residential services: - Fixed (triple play) - Mobile (2/3/4G)	Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITSs): - Real-time traffic signal control	- Smart home - Smart education - Smart health - Event technologies - Building management system (BMS) - Digital advertising signage - ICT services for hospitality - Smart card - City information for residents and visitors (portal/app) - Wi-Fi hotspot access in public, business, restaurants, etc. - Data communication, business point - IPTV or fiber TV channels to the home of business - Entertainment-related services - Access control - Data center
Business Services: - Fixed (voice and data) - Mobile (2/3/4G) - WiMax and Microwave)	Public Car Parks: - Car park management - Car park guidance - Utility tunnel management - Waste management - Water management - Smart grid - Smart metering - Cooling management (DC) - Gas distribution network - Street and landscape lighting - Nightscape control - Water features - Public address - Video surveillance - Road tunnel management - Irrigation control
	LCCC: - Integrated ICTE platform - Asset management - Data management system - Real-time field maintenance support system
	Intelligent traffic system: - Traffic information system - Light rail transport information - Buses and water taxi information system - Traffic digital signage - Video surveillance (residential/commercial) - Access control (residential/commercial) - Marina management security - Fire detection and fighting integrated QCD/fire stations

).

Msheireb downtown is the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project that aims to revive the old commercial district with new and modern architectural design inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and architecture. Fully supported through an intrinsic mix of hospitality, retail, residential, commercial and civic offerings, the Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) project is divided into five broad quarters. Each quarter satisfies every need of an urban resident by being designed to have everything close and convenient enough to walk to. Figure 3 illustrates the smart amenities utilized in the Msheireb smart city.

In addition, public spaces in Msheireb, such as Barahat Msheireb, utilize smart modern cooling strategies that facilitate the quality of life for its visitors. In this large open space, all retail areas have outdoor cool pools that are designed to provide neutral carbon cooling for the square all year long, even in the hottest weather. Furthermore, each cool pool is canopy-coated with low-emission fabric that keeps the cool air at the height of the seated visitor. The airflow from the diffusers in the pool retains a cool air temperature of 15–20 Celsius lower than the other areas outside the square. Moreover, the function of the retractable roof in the square is to shade the area by day and allow the heat to rise at night [34]. Furthermore,

Table 5. Smart features in public spaces—Source: experts from Lusail and Msheireb.

No.	Smart City Features	Public Space Smart Features	Impact on Livability
Msheireb City—Source: Interview with Msheireb Experts
1	Public Wi-Fi	X	X
2	Way-finding app	X	X
3	Smart valet parking	X	X
4	Smart shading—By design	X	X
5	Barahat—Canopy—Retractable shade	X	X
6	Outdoor cool pool seating—self-enclosed “cool air” areas surrounding Barahat Msheireb	X	X
7	Smart pay and park kiosks	X	X
8	Smart waste management
9	Sensor lights
10	Air quality sensor	X	X
11	Thermal camera—Temperature sensing
12	MDD portal—Online access to citizens and tenants to access service log issues
13	People counting
14	AI cameras—In testing
15	Tram facility
16	Fully automated shows system	X	X
17	Fully automated projection	X	X
18	Digital signage	X	X
19	High-definition LED advertising	X	X
20	5G coverage	X	X
21	Airlift—In the testing phase
Lusail City—Source: Interview with Lusail Experts
1	An integrated ICT infrastructure, including city Wi-Fi and a high-speed fiber optic network (public, business, restaurants)	X	X
2	Broadband and connectivity (wired and wireless)	X	X
3	Fixed (triple play) and mobile (2/3/4G, WiMAX and Microwave) telecom services for residents and businesses
4	The city is designed on the district and neighborhood concept integrating all civic facilities to reduce travel distance
5	Automated weather forecasts
6	Smart cards
7	eEducation
8	eHealth
9	eMobility	X	X
10	eBilling	X	X
11	eTicket Marina
12	Automated office space
13	Nightscape control	X	X
14	Smart building advertising signage	X	X
15	Smart lighting technology systems (streets, landscape)	X	X
16	Interactive water features	X	X
17	Public address
18	Irrigation control	X	X
19	Services GPS sensing	X	X
20	Integrated security management system (CCTV, ICT, MOI)	X
21	District cooling
22	City information for residents and visitors (portal/app)
23	Access control
24	Datacenter
25	Waste management (includes PWC system and CDM)	X
26	Water management (IR, FS, PW and SW)	X
27	Smart grid
28	Smart metering
29	Water taxi communication	X	X
30	Smart pedestrian and bicycle networks
31	Intelligent traffic system (ITS)
32	Traffic digital signage
33	Integrated future highway network development
34	Car park management and guidance	X	X
35	Utility tunnel management
36	Fire detection and fighting integrated QCD/fire stations

summarizes all data collected from experts in the Lusail and Msheireb smart cities.

The characteristics of the Qatari Smart cities, Msheireb and Lusail, have an ICT platform facilitating smart connectivity, smart transport and smart livability with central command centers (CCCs). However, the Msheireb smart city adopts the neighborhood smart city design with shaded pathways and narrow streets to allow for adequate ventilation from the sea, while Lusail is a modern smart city, giving more resemblance to Singapore. Singapore’s smart city is expected to highly depend on urban mobility, intelligent management and technological advancement, including IoT, big data allowing for remote data collection for cloud processing and wireless sensors for noise and motion detection. However, all smart cities are challenged with public privacy policies. According to Cui et al. [35], despite the growing development of the smart city features and technologies and their significant contribution to the enhancement of society, almost all smart applications are prone to hacking problems through advanced attacking systems including background knowledge, eavesdropping, spam, identity theft and many others. However, there are many intelligent systems used such as cryptography that are considered as the backbone of security and privacy protections for users when utilizing smart city applications, blockchain technology that can be integrated into smart homes to achieve confidentiality and biometrics that are IoT-based and widely used for authentication. Therefore, the authors encourage strict government policies and penalties to guarantee public privacy within smart cities.

4.2. The Workshop

The data have led to the conclusion that smart public features do not only have an impact on users’ livability in a city, but also have a more significant positive impact on the city’s achievement of its goals that align with sustainability goals, which include technology, user comfort, providing a good quality of life, sustainability, being responsive and interactive and ensuring the users’ safety. A workshop was conducted to develop a framework for improved livability in public spaces. The workshop participants included 2 architects from facility management with 5–10 years of experience and 2 additional architects/researchers heavily based in this field. The participants organized the deducted criteria and data from the interviews and literature to develop the framework. The completed framework was reviewed by all participants for validation based on a loop review process and it was aligned with the SMART concept. The validation was based on the specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound SMART concept. During the validation process, the smart city goals and breaking the smart features into two levels were encouraged to be added by the workshop participants. The workshop session lasted 30–45 min to develop and validate the SLiPS framework (Figure 4).

The framework can be applied to any smart city which has an ICT platform connected to the infrastructure with central control centers (CCCs). It integrates and manages existing facilities and allows for future updates and developments by expanding the framework. The framework is a baseline for improving livability in smart cities which allows for future updates based on existing ICT infrastructure, enabling new functions and availability of novel technology applied by UFM. Based on Table 2, five elements/dimensions of livability were deducted including accessibility, functional infrastructure, interaction and social cohesion, amenity and participation, quality of life through safety, security and privacy. The UFM can enable livability by providing data centers, access controls, integrated security systems, monitoring, smart waste, energy and water management in public spaces. The outcome of livability leads to the achievement of smart city goals.

5. Discussion

Smart cities are being developed with specific goals to be achieved, such as sustainability, technology, energy efficiency and more. This section discusses the involvement of UFM in targeting these goals and improving the livability of residents and visitors of innovative environments (public spaces) in smart cities.

5.1. Smart Space Design in Achieving Sustainability

In a smart city, the concept of sustainability is considered vital. Sustainability must be echoed as the fundamental concept and not as a concept separate to the smart city. Based on the collected data, urban facility management has a significant role to play in achieving sustainability in a smart city. Planning for an intelligent design for a city ensures the achievement of sustainability and improving livability. For example, sustainability is well highlighted in Msheireb in terms of building block design and street orientations. The streets in the city of Msheireb are oriented to seize the cool winds from the Gulf and provide shade from the hot sun to most of the pedestrian routes. To shade one another, buildings are massed together and are also light-colored to decrease cooling supplies. Besides this, solar hot water panels and photovoltaic solar panels are used to generate electricity. A safe public realm and a pedestrian-friendly environment encourage walking and cycling. The placement of the cars and other vehicles underground at different basement levels makes it safer for pedestrians.

5.2. Smart Integrated Infrastructure Networks

One of the most essential user requirements in a public space is the users’ ability to access and obtain information about the place. Pedestrians may require easy access to the Internet to use way-finding applications to find their way to shops, restaurants and cafes, find empty parking spots, reduce travel distance and more. Furthermore, pedestrian safety and security are also vital. All pedestrian requirements can be supported by a well-managed smart integrated infrastructure network by UFM. Urban facility management utilizes computer-based control systems fixed in structures to monitor and control spaces’ electrical and mechanical tools such as ventilation, power systems, lighting, security systems, Internet and fire systems. UFM relies on the interplay of a set of inventions intended to deliver enhanced urban facilities and to monitor a thorough variety of information analytics developing a sustainable, mobile, safe and smart urban setting. These inventions include smart sensors, sensor lights, CCTV, AI cameras, thermal cameras and more.

5.3. Smart Environment

One of the leading smart environment techniques used in Msheireb and Lusail is district cooling (DC). A district cooling system is also integrated into the dispensing cooling volume by chilled water from a principal source to numerous spaces by linking underground pipes. Furthermore, due to the hot climate of the Middle East, providing as much shade as possible must be considered on an urban scale as it is viewed as a public need [36]. Pedestrians’ behavior and shade are dependent on each other, as pedestrians will always follow the shade. Therefore, intelligent shading techniques such as the “retractable shade” used in Barahat Msheireb, cool pools, air quality control, irrigation control, nightscape control and automated weather forecasts are also adopted in smart cities and ensure effective UFM.

5.4. Integrated Traffic Control System

The integrated traffic management system used by UFM in smart cities incorporates technology mainly to develop the vehicle traffic flow and increase safety. Real-time traffic data flow into a transportation management center from speed sensors, cameras, etc., where they are integrated and processed.

6. Challenges, Considerations and Recommendations

Ensuring livability in smart public spaces by UFM is connected to the original strategies used for the planning of smart cities. The participation of UFM in the development of smart cities can be beneficial, as the urban facility management profession integrates people, places, technologies and processes to ensure the functionality of the built environment and also public spaces [37]. An interesting concept presents itself in this situation, which is the urban FM, which links the knowledge of UFM to that of urban planners to provide a platform for both public and private organizations to come together to benefit society. The core goal of the profession is to support managerial needs and decisions made and defined at a strategic level of organizations, tactically planned and realized at the operation level. However, with the fast development of the modern world, it is necessary to ensure the adaptability of smart cities to residents’ needs and regional and national goals. Moreover, it is challenging to link strategic goals at a high level (city-level) to the local districts and neighborhoods’ level. Another challenge lies in understanding how to pave the way for public and private organizations to develop the knowledge, capability and capacity to re-engineer the environment and infrastructure in response to users, environment and city needs. It is also necessary to understand that it is not just a single user with various needs, but various users with various needs that need to be considered, and this presents another challenge [37]. Therefore, it is essential to be reminded of the fact that the actual “intelligence” of a city stems from its ability to respond to specific needs and requirements in a convenient way through design and with the engagement of the users to understand better. This creates an opportunity for developing spaces and built environments that enable sustainable behaviors and allow the city to achieve sustainable goals, ultimately, ensuring and improving livability in a city. Moreover, quantum computing (e.g., AI) can enable more efficient ways of managing public spaces by learning how the public uses the places over the different seasons in the year and also by providing tailored recommendations to specific users (urban mobility, smart car parking, location, public transport timings and many other smart functions).

7. Conclusions

The urge to improve various aspects of the service systems of a country, as well as livability and the quality of life of the citizens, has compelled the demand for smart cities. This paper explored the definition of an intelligent city, livability, the identification of smart features/technologies and the infrastructure and the urban facility management involvement in improving livability. The UFM can enable livability by providing data centers, access controls, integrated security systems, monitoring, smart waste, energy and water management in public spaces. This study focused on five elements of livability that were deducted; including accessibility, functional infrastructure, interaction and social cohesion, amenity and participation, quality of life through safety, security and privacy. This study was supported by the participation of experts from Lusail and Msheireb smart cities in the data collection and workshop (framework development and validation). The outcome of this study is the development of the smart livable public spaces (SLiPS) framework, demonstrating the connections between all the aforementioned key elements and their contribution to improving livability and supporting sustainable/smart city goals. The framework can be applied to any smart city which has an ICT platform connected to the infrastructure with central control centers (CCCs). It integrates and manages existing facilities and allows for future updates and developments by expanding the framework. The framework is a baseline for improving livability in smart cities which allows for future updates based on existing ICT infrastructure, enabling new functions and availability of novel technology applied by UFM. The results could work as a foundation for urban managers, policymakers and researchers looking for a deep understanding of the concept of smart cities in the field of urban planning and management. However, with the growing development of the smart city technologies and their significant contribution to the enhancement of society, many smart applications are subject to hacking problems through advanced attacking schemes. However, there are many intelligent systems used such as cryptography, blockchain technology and biometrics that aid in security and privacy issues when using smart city applications and technologies. Moreover, UFM equipped with novel technologies that allow for required functions to achieve livability, sustainability pillars, social, environmental and economic can be achieved by increasing interactions, saving energy and cost-saving automation. The SliPS framework is based on IoT and ICT that aligns with smart cities’ sustainable goals.

8. Limitations

The smart functions within smart cities are non-exhaustive. Furthermore, smart public spaces are challenged with public privacy, security and safety. The developed SLiPS framework is only a baseline for improving livability in smart cities, which allows for future updates based on existing ICT infrastructure, enabling new functions and availability of novel technology. The framework only focuses on UFM.