Sustainable Smart Cities have a significant potential to ensure equal access to public services, achieve sustainability and governance transparency, improve livability, and anticipate and mitigate increasingly changing threats. This study aims at prioritizing a core set of Sustainable Smart City (SSC) indicators using a combined methodology: (a) Content Analysis and (b) Analytic Hierarchy Process. The study’s contribution is that it successfully developed a more robust ranking of the above-mentioned set of indicators by combining AHP and co-occurrence analyses. The final combined ranking is intended to serve as a Decision Support Tool to streamline the decision-making process and help decision-makers prioritize dimensions to measure, achieve, or monitor actions when they cannot be undertaken simultaneously in contexts of economic recessions, financial constraints, and resource mobilization challenges. The findings draw attention to the need for considering the concept of SSCs through the prism of interconnecting the various current technology-driven “smart silos” under an inclusive umbrella that focuses on the combinations and connectedness to achieve a systemic approach to sustainability and smartness that none of those single areas can achieve in isolation. The results also revealed an interesting paradox, which relegated the Technology and ICT dimension to the bottom of the ranking, contrary to the widespread consensus and opinion, opening an opportunity for discussion among peers.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the flows or spatial mobility of people, goods, and services globally. The present study explored the impact of the pandemic on the global flows of people and goods, and the implications on the dynamics of urban systems. The study utilized desktop research methodology to collect relevant literature and secondary data, which were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. The study found that the restrictive measures imposed during the pandemic severely disrupted the global flows of people and goods. As a result, global movements of people declined by over 40% in 2020 from the 2019 levels. Similarly, the global flows of goods shrunk by at least 10% within the same period. These lockdown-related disruptions have significant implications on how socioeconomic activities are organized and conducted within and between cities, with civil aviation and hospitality sectors the hardest hit. The study concludes that there is a need for resilient urban systems in which cities, people, institutions, and firms can effectively adapt to the impact of the pandemic.

Purpose: Rapid urbanization is a major driver of disruptions to the natural urban water cycle. Accelerated rates of land conversion and the use of impervious surfaces, linked to biodiversity loss and an increase in urban flooding, often produce broader social, economic and environmental consequences. This study aims to examine how Sponge City initiatives deliver broader co-benefits for public health, environmental sustainability and socio-economic development beyond primarily addressing hydrological and ecological challenges. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a criterion-based content analysis of relevant literature, it quantifies the coverage of 11 predefined indicators spanning these three dimensions to identify priority areas that need to be strengthened and neglected aspects that corrective actions and policies should target. Findings: The findings indicate that current research on Sponge City initiatives placed special emphasis on stormwater control, water quality enhancement and climate resilience, with notable gaps in other key domains, including air quality, mental health, equitable access to infrastructure and carbon sequestration. Originality/value: These findings highlight the importance of more integrated and multidimensional strategies that extend beyond hydrological objectives to improve environmental performance, promote social equity and advance public health. Such an approach is essential to build resilient and inclusive urban futures.