A smart city is fundamentally intended to reduce the consumption of resources and optimize efficiencies. In almost any area, efficiency results in energy saving, reduced energy intensity, sustainable economic development, enhanced productivity, a protected environment, and most importantly, cooperation with the climate change battle. Although budget, technology, and the required infrastructure are major constraints for poor cities to achieve smart and sustainable city goals, the benefits of smart cities are multiple for poor cities compared to developing and developed cities. Poor cities achieve improved living environments, security, safety, economic development, governance, and quality of life in addition to achieving sustainable energy goals, and this study seeks to identify those smart renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies that are economically feasible and technically applicable in poor cities. The findings of this research would help poor and low-income, developing cities take the initial steps towards becoming smart cities by applying smart, innovative, and economically feasible sustainable energy projects and initiatives. As a result, these cities will be able to enhance their environment, economy, and employment by transitioning to smart ones.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of building microclimate on the indoor thermal environment of traditional Japanese houses, focusing especially on the shading effect of trees as well as the cooling effect of spraying water. Basically, the indoor thermal environment was found to follow the outdoor conditions due to the open-plan and lightweight wooden structure. Nevertheless, air temperatures of the living rooms in the two case study houses were lower than the corresponding outdoors by approximately 0.5 °C and 2 °C, respectively. It was found that the semi-outdoor spaces acted as thermal buffers for promoting cross-ventilation as well as pre-cooling to provide “warm but breezy” conditions to the surrounding indoor spaces. The results showed that the surface temperature of semi-outdoor spaces can be reduced by shading and water spraying, among which shading has prolonged effects and water spraying can reduce the surface temperature during peak hours and the following night.

This paper examined the passive techniques used in the traditional courtyard houses of Kabul using on-site measurements of their thermal environment during winter and summer. It was found that the high thermal mass structure was efficient in creating a stable indoor environment during both seasons. The adaptive behaviour of migrating horizontally to the northern and southern rooms during winter and summer was found to be effective. Moreover, the added insulation from the attached neighbour building and the thermal mass effect on the second layer rooms were found to play a major role in creating cool and stable indoor spaces in summer. The basements were among the coolest spaces during the summer months regardless of their opening conditions. However, a permanently closed basement was as cool as the minimum outdoor air temperature during the daytime. During the winter days, indoor thermal comfort varied based on solar orientation and the south facing rooms received direct solar radiation therefore provided longer comfort periods. The central courtyard was found to be a sheltered space during the winter and summer, which created a comfortable semi-outdoor space for specific periods during these months.