Driving Green Innovation in Smart Cities

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled "Driving Green Innovation in Smart Cities", explores the critical intersections between technological innovation, policy frameworks, government initiatives, and market mechanisms in fostering sustainable urban development. As cities face unprecedented challenges related to climate change (Dawson, 2017), resource depletion (Dou et al., 2023; Chen et al., 2024), and rapid urbanization (Henderson, 2010; Hu et al., 2024), it is now crucial to transition towards greener (Ali et al., 2024), smarter urban environments (Bibri et al., 2024). Statistics highlight the growing importance of green innovation in smart cities (Yang et al., 2024). According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), buildings account for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, emphasizing the need for energy-efficient infrastructure. Additionally, a recent report by the United Nations projected that 68% of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050, further underscoring the urgency of sustainable urban development.

Moreover, the impact of the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the U.S.’s exit from the World Health Organization (WHO) had significant implications for global environmental and health policies (Su et al., 2025), called policy dilemma. This withdrawal from the Paris Agreement led to a temporary decline in the U.S.’s leadership regarding climate action, reducing international cooperation on carbon reduction initiatives. Additionally, the exit of the U.S. from WHO affected global health collaboration efforts, indirectly impacting sustainable urban development initiatives by limiting access to international resources and partnerships. Conversely, the Biden administration's decision to rejoin these international agreements has reinvigorated global efforts toward climate action and sustainability, emphasizing green innovation as a core component of urban development strategies.

This Special Issue builds upon existing research regarding smart cities, sustainability, and innovation policy. Prior studies have covered the technological aspects of smart cities, such as IoT-based solutions, energy-efficient infrastructure, and mobility systems (Zanella et al., 2014; Chatterjee et al., 2018; Kai et al., 2018; Zekić-Sušac et al., 2021). Despite these technological advances, there remains a significant gap in the literature regarding how governance structures, regulatory frameworks, and market dynamics interact to either facilitate or hinder green innovation. The importance of stakeholder collaboration in achieving urban sustainability goals is well documented (Xiaobao et al., 2024; Ali et al., 2024); however, much of the existing research lacks a comprehensive perspective that effectively integrates policy directives with economic incentives. In response to this need, this Special Issue welcomes contributions that utilize a variety of methodologies and theoretical perspectives to explore green innovation in smart cities. We aim to foster a richer, more inclusive discourse that bridges urban planning, environmental science, economics, and public policy. This discourse also aims to provide detailed insights that inform more effective and sustainable urban development strategies, ensuring the harmonious integration of technological advancements with the governance and market conditions that shape them. This initiative offers a crucial platform for advancing research that could generate practical, scalable solutions for the future of smart urban living.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions from academics, policymakers, industry practitioners, and urban planners that provide theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, and case analyses that advance our understanding of the complex ecosystem of green innovation in smart cities.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Regulatory frameworks for green innovation in urban settings
• Comparative analysis of smart city policies across different regions
• Governance challenges in implementing green urban initiatives
• Role of financial incentives in promoting sustainable urban projects
• Green financing and investment strategies for smart cities
• Market barriers to the adoption of eco-friendly technologies
• Smart grids and renewable energy integration
• Circular economy models within smart city frameworks
• Data-driven decision-making for sustainable urban planning
• Public-private partnerships in sustainable urban development
• Community engagement and social innovation for green cities
• Corporate social responsibility and urban sustainability

Ali S, Ghufran M, Ashraf J, et al., The Role of Public and Private Interventions on the Evolution of Green Innovation in China. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 2024, 71: 6272-6290.

Bibri SE, Huang J and Krogstie J. Artificial intelligence of things for synergizing smarter eco-city brain, metabolism, and platform: Pioneering data-driven environmental governance. Sustainable Cities and Society, 2024, 108: 105516.

Chatterjee S, Kar AK and Gupta M, Success of IoT in smart cities of India: An empirical analysis. Government Information Quarterly, 2018, 35(3): 349-361.

Chen F, She W, Zeng F, et al., Resource depletion and conservation: Balancing demands on resources for green recovery and sustainability. Resources Policy, 2024, 89: 104544.

Dawson A. Extreme cities: The peril and promise of urban life in the age of climate change. 2017, Verso Books.

Dou S, Zhu Y, Xu D, et al., Ecological challenges in the economic recovery of resource-depleted cities in China. Journal of Environmental Management, 2023, 333: 117406.

Henderson JV. Cities and development. Journal of regional science, 2010, 50(1): 515-540.

Hu J, Zhang F, Qiu B, et al., Green-gray imbalance: Rapid urbanization reduces the probability of green space exposure in early 21st century China. Science of The Total Environment, 2024, 933: 173168.

Kai C, Li H, Xu L, et al., Energy-efficient device-to-device communications for green smart cities. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 2018, 14(4): 1542-1551.

Su CW, Song XY, Dou J, et al., Fossil fuels or renewable energy? The dilemma of climate policy choices. Renewable Energy, 2025, 238: 121950.

Xiaobao P, Jian W, Yuhui C, et al., Does the carbon emission trading pilot policy promote green innovation cooperation? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China. Financial Innovation, 2024, 10(1): 14.

Yang S, Jahanger A and Usman M, Examining the influence of green innovations in industrial enterprises on China's smart city development. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2024, 199: 123031.

Zanella A, Bui N, Castellani A, et al., Internet of things for smart cities. IEEE Internet of Things journal, 2014, 1(1): 22-32.

Zekić-Sušac M, Mitrović S and Has A, Machine learning based system for managing energy efficiency of public sector as an approach towards smart cities. International journal of information management, 2021, 58: 102074.

Dr. Xiaobao Peng
Dr. Sumran Ali
Dr. Muhammad Ghufran
Guest Editors

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• green innovation
• smart city
• governance challenges
• green financing
• market barriers
• smart grids
• renewable energy
• circular economy
• data-driven decision-making
• public-private partnerships
• community engagement
• corporate social responsibility