The Modernization of New Cities and the Transition Toward Smart Cities: A Sociological Approach to Rebuilding Sustainable Urban Identity

Abstract

This study examines the transformations taking place in new cities amid the transition toward smart cities, by analyzing the impact of digital development and smart urban planning on reshaping urban space, social relations, and urban identity.

The study proceeds from a sociological perspective drawing on a number of theories that explain the phenomenon, and seeks to interpret the repercussions of the shift toward smart cities on local identity, and its capacity to preserve cultural and social distinctiveness amid the growing similarity of urban models worldwide. This study aims to anticipate the future of social relations and urban identity, and to propose a conception of sustainable urban identity that achieves a balance between the requirements of smart urban planning and the preservation of the local community's cultural and social characteristics — thereby contributing to the building of smart cities characterized by sustainability, innovation, and urban distinctiveness.