Assessing the potential for transformation into smart cities: Fallujah, Iraq as a case study

With the trends of digital transformation and sustainability on a global level, the smart city model is a modern method to reduce environmental impacts and improve the efficiency of urban resource management. While the literature on smart cities is extensive, no research gap addresses the contemporary readiness of Iraqi cities, such as Fallujah, to evolve into fully integrated smart cities, parallel with the required infrastructure. Also, we find that there is a shortage of studies using SWOT analysis on this transformation. Based on this gap, this study assumes the existence of a correlational relationship between urban design and smart city indicators for Fallujah. The current study aims to answer the following research question: How is Fallujah prepared for smart cities? How does urban development relate to smart city indicators in Fallujah? Which has the primary impact on the transformation into a smart city? SWOT analysis: What are the opportunities, challenges, strengths and weaknesses? Thus, the current study aims to evaluate Fallujah's potential as a smart city by studying its urban structure, examining the key drivers of this transformation and developing plans for sustainable urban development following a descriptive-analytic approach by using field and electronic questionnaires, with nominal measurement ranges and 30 items to cover a set of indicators and variables for smart cities. The same questionnaire was filled out by a sample of 90 experts who live in Fallujah. It was also employed to make a SWOT analysis that indicated the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of smart city transformation for Fallujah as well. The findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between urban development and indicators of smart city (Asympto, Sig < 0.05). Infrastructure was recognised as the most impactful aspect of this transformation. Meanwhile, analysis of SWOT results showed the SO strategy was considered the best solution for harnessing existing strengths. Nonetheless, this study stresses that to accomplish such a transformation, one must meet challenges brought on by the decay of critical infrastructure from the damage that the city has sustained and thus calls for integrated reconstruction policies fulfilling sustainable urban development for Fallujah.