2.3. Evaluation of Smart City Sustainability
Different models can be used to evaluate sustainability; some of them focus on certain aspects more than others, which is valid depending on the field of expertise or approach under evaluation.
The concept of a smart city has become more relevant due to the current global interest in leading societies in a sustainable manner and because people’s actions are having an increasing effect on the planet. The utilization of resources jeopardizes not only the sustainability of future generations but also the sustainability of the present generation, causing serious problems that go beyond the environmental sphere, and also involve social, economic, and political aspects.
For instance, different are the report approaches and dimensions that should be evaluated when sustainability and smart cities are discussed. The environmental approach integrates controlled urban sprawl strategies to affect biodiversity as little as possible, pollution controls, the rational use of resources, and renewable energy technologies. In turn, economic approaches are closely related to city development, where industrial development is fundamental for a good perception of development
[23].
Institutional development and social matters are more integrated, making citizens more important and including other points of view and social and cultural dynamics that are essential to discuss sustainable and diverse development. The technological aspect has played a vital role in recent years because the new information and communication technologies are indispensable for smart cities and are a common denominator of the solution to their problems. These approaches have a clear relationship with this study, where these aspects are necessarily framed for a comprehensive evaluation of the sustainability of smart cities.
Sustainability is evaluated using quantitative and qualitative indicators on different spatial scales, i.e., from a building to a neighborhood, city, or urban area. The analysis can also include materials, energy, and air quality as individual aspects, and even transportation planning, community development, social wellbeing, governance, and innovation. Therefore, a wide range of aspects should come together to evaluate sustainability as a whole
[23]. Several countries have developed different types of evaluation to produce a more balanced assessment of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions and to draw a bigger picture to analyze.
The BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) certification systems are the first of their kind regarding building construction and planning community development because they place more emphasis on environmental and sustainability issues
[24]. In turn, the CASBEE-UD method, developed by the Japanese government and academy, is focused on sustainable and efficient development based on design and planning
[25]. The LUD includes urban development aspects and integrates security, natural resource management, and efficiency in transport and construction
[26]. The Green Building Index (GBI) emphasizes water and energy consumption, the protection of natural ecosystems, the development of transportation systems, employment generation, and entrepreneurship. The IGBC, developed in India includes, in addition to city planning and land use, innovation and technology
[27]. Note that many of these tools, used around the world to evaluate sustainability, have different approaches. Most of them present similarities with respect to the technical aspects of space planning, construction, and design, as well as purely environmental aspects as part of green indicators, but few include social or political aspects as fundamental components of sustainable development. Hence, it is important to have tools that integrate these aspects in order to support cities and their development (an essential part of their growth) based on economic and social factors. Such tools should bring together sustainability and more attention to the dynamics of the population and its well-being
[28].
Many of the experts agreed that Medellín should work toward the satisfaction of basic needs, which include everything related to decent housing, access to utilities, average educational attainment, households covered by basic health insurance, and employment that enables individuals to meet many of said needs. This can be difficult to achieve, but the first step is articulating all these components. In addition, we should not forget the technological component because it enables governments to manage data and companies and citizens to control their resources, all in an effective and safe manner.
Smart cities usually focus on technological development and innovation (central points that determine their classification as smart) and favor the use of technologies to deal with different problems and offer opportunities
[29]. Technologies are part of the construction and design process of smart cities and are used to provide services to citizens
[30]; furthermore, they may generate sustainability. Although some authors disagree with the idea that sustainable development is a consequence of the implementation of new technologies
[31], others claim that the latter can address important issues, such as access to education, improved information systems, and transportation, as well as security solutions that promote human capital training and create jobs
[29][32][33]. In another context it is concluded that aspects such as income level, educational attainment, and location in Latin America (specifically) are positively related to the level of city smartness. Thus, cities in countries where information and communication technologies are more developed attain higher levels of city smartness
[34]. Employment can also be integrated to improve this level because it is important for the sustainable growth and progress of cities.
Currently, there is no satisfactory explanation of the transformation of cities into smart cities, but it implies commitment and prospective vision to be successful. It also requires time and the characterization of efficient governance models that include a public–private contribution as well as that of citizens. In addition, this transformation involves dimensions that cities can improve to be more efficient and competitive, facilitating new synergies and ensuring the interoperability of their operations and services, which results in a better quality of life for their inhabitants.
Therefore, eight variables were excluded: (1) inclusive innovation and ICTs, (2) competitiveness and territory, (3) energy, (4) social cohesion, (5) environment, (6) water and gas, (7) e-commerce, and (8) communications. They were not excluded because they are not important but because, in this study, we selected different variables to create a more detailed profile of the city under analysis here. As a result, the evaluation herein propose is focused on six dimensions: (1) government, (2) mobility, (3) sustainability, (4) people, (5) economy, and (6) quality of life.
Although the definition of smart city has been widely disseminated and studied in recent years, a great deal of the progress in this area has been theoretical and has been made by the adoption of qualitative approaches. In more practical terms, smart cities require technology in the form of network infrastructure, which translates into a connected, data-driven society. In addition, they require technological mechanisms to improve competitiveness and support their communities, thus generating a better quality of life for their residents. Therefore, future research should examine more real and specific aspects of the dynamics of cities.