2.1.1 Sustainable City

Sustainability grew from the immediate necessity for real transformation because of serious concerns that the social development model had become poorly functioning in preserving the environment and Increasing citizens’ living level. The sustainable development idea emerged with its three dimensions (environmental., economic., and social.) in the late 1980s. The cultural dimension was added by (HABITAT III., 2016-1) ‘(HABITAT III., 2016-2) 2016. Since the early 1990s, urban sustainability and the principles of sustainable urban development have been integrated into urban planning and design (Wheeler, S. M., & Beatley, T., 2010).

Sustainable cities tend to focus primarily on the following:

1. A natural environment encompasses all organisms and non-living elements found on Earth naturally without human intervention, such as soils, rocks, water, climate, and air.
2. Infrastructure consists of the physical components of interconnected systems that provide the necessary services and goods to enable or improve citizens’ living conditions. These include the road, bridge, network, resources, water, sanitation, electrical networks, energy telecommunications, etc. (Höjer, M., & Wangel, J., 2015: 3)
3. Metabolism (food production and consumption within the city›s administrative boundaries). (Williams, K. et al., 2000: 12).

In addition, there are some factors affecting sustainability:

1. the built environment includes the use of land, urban design, transport systems, mobility within the physical environment, and human activity. It is expected to worsen as the world’s urbanisation increases. (Handy, S., 1996)
2. Sustainable urban development, which takes into account the Environmental., Economic., Social. and cultural dimensions of exploiting available resources to meet the needs of individuals while retaining the rights of future generations. (Salim, H. & Basee, D., 2023)
3. Sustainable Urban Form: (Lynch, K., 1981; Handy, S., 1996) describes it as Patterns of spatial regulation for land use, transportation systems, and urban design elements that include building, street format, as well as the inner composition of the city. According to (Williams, Kati., et al., 2000), the sustainable urban form. Refers to “urban and space formations that affect urban development and meet changing needs”. (Figure 1).

(Williams, Kati., et al., 2000) Put the basic principle of sustainable urban formation: Accessibility., convergence., and integration of jobs. (Jabareen, YR., 2006) Add energy reduction, Pollution, waste reduction, car use reduction., maintaining the Open Space System., and Urban formation is livable and safe. There is consensus by (Williams, K., 2000; Jenks, M., 2005; Jabareen, YR., 2006) that sustainable urban form is produced: 1. Mixed land use 2. density 3. Compactness. 4. Diversity. 5. sustainable transport 6. Passive solar design 7. Greening.

The researcher named these effects “generators of sustainable urban form”. The research explains the relationship of each generator to the following main indicators:

(1) urban form characteristics (urban fabric, pattern, urban space). (2) The possibility of preserving historical and cultural heritage. (3) Access to services and benefits.(4) urban competence. (5) Addressing human needs. (6) Climate quality. (7) Supporting the economy. (8) Citizens’ Public Participation.

These indicators reflect the image of the city with environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions while addressing human needs.

2.1.1.1 The generators of sustainable urban form are

1. Mix-Land use: It refers to the concept of Diversity in land use, such as the presence of Institutions of educational, health, and service between commercial, residential, and industrial buildings. The strategy of mix-land use achieves Sustainable urban forms through its contribution to the impact on urban fabric vocabulary (fabric vitality, place identity, spatial convergence, purpose correlation, morphological transformations) on the compact urban-pattern and urban space vocabulary (social space, convenience, space vitality, uniqueness, attractivity), It has the potential to maintain historic places and Culture and through activating events and encouraging tourism in. It also promotes access to services and facilities. It encourages walking, cycling and reduces transport distances between activities and their duration, thereby reducing traffic congestion and pollution. Furthermore, it limits the land use for certain purposes. (Jabareen, YR., 2006; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 58). It supports the sense of safety, peace, and pleasure in public places. Add to the ability to support a vibrant economy and encourage citizen participation.

2. Density: Indicates the proportion of people, residential units, or buildings in the land area. It is preferable to intensify in abandoned or undesirable lands. Density is a strategy for achieving sustainable urban forms through its impact on the urban fabric. (urban fabric, human scale, clarity, degree of complexity, permeability, urban fabric vitality, place identity, morphological transformations), the urban pattern (interconnected, coherent), and the urban space vocabulary (space flexibility, social space, openness, uniqueness). Access to services and facilities. Encourages walking and cycling, thereby reducing the emission of CO2, contributing to improved air quality, and also works to achieve urban efficiency by providing energy and managing water and waste as well as preserving rural land while reducing crime and feeling safe (Williams, Kati., et al., 2000; Jabareen, YR., 2006; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 57) preserving rural land with the possibility of contributing to the promotion of e-commerce and citizen participation.

3. Compactness: refers to the interdependence and coherence of the urban space and built environment or (compression) as a strategic issue to achieve sustainable urban forms. Through its similar Effect of (Density) on the vocabulary of urban form characteristics (urban fabric, urban pattern, and urban space), With the contribution of hoarding to Achieving social justice (Williams, Kati., et al., 2000: 28) and sense of place and access to services and benefits Compactness encourages walking and riding bicycles. It reduces the number and duration of Auto-mobility, thereby contributing to improved air quality while preserving energy, resources, water, and rural land protection (Jabareen, YR., 2006; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 57) in addition to its contribution to the promotion of citizens participation.

4. Diversity: Through Diversity (housing types, family size, age, income, jobs, and cultures) and as a strategic issue to achieve sustainable urban forms through the similar effect of density and Compactness on the vocabulary (urban fabric, urban pattern, and urban space). Diversity encourages walking and riding bicycles. It thus contributes to reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. (Jabareen, YR., 2006). (Bibri, S.E., 2018: 58–59). It gives a sense of pleasure and a sense of place; It contributes to supporting the economy and encouraging citizens’ participation due to job diversity and age.

5. Sustainable transportation: This is the main issue in environmental discussions on urban form. As a strategic issue for achieving sustainable urban forms through its impact on urban fabric (Illustration, degree of complexity, spatial convergence, fabric vitality, permeability, place identity, purpose correlation, Morphology transformations) and in the urban pattern (compact, loose) and it has the same effect (density, Compactness, Diversity) on the vocabulary of urban space. Sustainable transport can preserve cultural heritage and history by encouraging walking and cycling, particularly in the country’s heritage areas. (Abbas, S. S., & Imran, Y. T., 2016). With the potential to achieve access to services and benefits by reducing reliance on cars for personal Auto-mobility, using public transport, and providing energy-efficient modes of transport, thereby reducing CO2 emissions and reducing pollution (Jabareen, YR., 2006; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 59). Sustainable transport contributes to human needs feeling safe, comfort with health benefits, pleasure, and a sense of place. It also contributes to supporting a vibrant economy.

Sustainable transport is an urban system that meets the needs of sustainable development without affecting the quality of life of future generations and access to destinations safely, healthily, and inexpensively while promoting the use of renewable energy sources.

6. Passive solar design: This is achieved by reducing energy demand using specific measures of (positioning, orientation, building density, street canyon, openness ratio to sky vision, colour, and texture of exterior finishing materials of buildings and outdoor spaces). Passive solar design is a strategic issue to achieve sustainable urban forms through its impact on urban fabric (fabric vitality, clarity, human scale, degree of complexity, permeability), Urban pattern (Central, linear, etc., coherent and compressed), and urban space (space flexibility, openness, uniqueness). It Effect airflow, the view of the sun and sky, the impact of heat absorption and reflection on buildings and exposed surfaces and outdoor spaces, Thus achieving urban efficiency quality (Jabareen, YR., 2006; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 60). With the possibility of using it as a strategy to preserve the cultural and historical heritage. Moreover, it gives a sense of psychological comfort and protection from external conditions.

7. Greening: Green infrastructure is important in sustainable urban planning. Green space is a strategy for achieving sustainable urban forms through its impact on urban fabric (Permeability, place identity, urban fabric vitality) and its impact on urban space (space flexibility, social space, openness, convenience, uniqueness, space vitality, attractivity) it could be used as a strategy to preserve cultural and historical heritage. And it is achieving access to services and benefits in addition to contributing to modifying urban weather events, conserving urban biodiversity and reducing pollution. (Jabareen, YR., 2006). According to the results of his study (Irvine, K. et al., 2010; Bibri, S.E., 2018: 59–60), the green urban landscape encourages children to play and meets human needs by giving comfort, safety, and a sense of place, pleasure, and urban happiness. It also increases economic attractiveness and encourages citizen participation (Figure 2).

Figure 2 

Sustainable urban form generators.

Source: The researcher.

Integrating urban-form generators into specific patterns (linear, networked, central, etc.) leads to sustainable cities such as Compact cities, Environmental City-Green Cities, and new urbanisation cities. The compact city emphasises Mix-Land use, density, and Compactness. The Environmental City – Green City focuses on urban greening, negative solar design, and diversity. The new urbanisation of the city emphasises sustainable transport, greening, Mix-land use, and Diversity. (Jabareen, YR., 2006). (Figure 3).

Figure 3 

Sustainable City Models Most Prevalent.

Source: The researcher.

2.1.2 Smart City (SC)

Views differ on the concept of a Smart City (SC)in the previous studies. According to (Gabrys, J., 2014), the concept is rooted in the 1960s under so-called “electronically planned cities”. (Neirotti, P., et al., 2014). The smart city relies on the smart management of urban systems using information technology and communications. Despite the wide use of the (smart city) concept, there is no legal definition of an SC or even universally agreed that it is difficult to define accurately and identify typical orientation at the global scale. Moreover, interpret the concept of SC (Neirotti, P., et al., 2014: 35) “as a common concept that leads cities around the world to a new level of technological innovation and quality of life improvement”. At the same time, this term is chosen to attract investment and stimulate new economic opportunities; the existence of investment is a necessary but insufficient condition for creating Smart City.

(Giffinger, R. et al., 2007: 12) Defines “a smart city that performs its functions proactively in the economy, governance, people, transportation, living, and the environment.”

The smart city relies on two main approaches: 1. The ICT-oriented approach (Kitchin, R., 2014) 2. The people-oriented approach, stakeholders, and knowledge (Galán-García, J. L., 2014). Other perspectives also focus on services (Belanche, D., et al, 2016).

Determining what is needed to make the city smart comes from each city’s unique geographical location, physical composition, population, labour force, government structure, and policy. The term “The urban code of the city” reflects each city’s complex composition. (Kirwan, C. G., & Zhiyong, F., 2020). SC has been criticised for its lack of environmental sustainability (Bibri, S. E., & Krogstie, J., 2017a; Höjer, M., & Wangel, J., 2015). According to the researcher, this was one of the reasons why researchers needed to think of smart sustainable cities.

2.1.3 Smart Sustainable City (SSC)

The concept of SSC has more great attention all over the world (universities·research institutes· governments, ·policymakers, and ICT companies) as a response to sustainability and urbanisation challenges. However, this concept became widespread only in mid-2010 (Bibri, S. E., & Krogstie, J. 2017a) as a result of many global interconnected developments and transformations (Höjer, M., & Wangel, J., 2015: 334–337), most notably the emergence of sustainable cities And smart city SC, Urban computing, Information and Communication Technology ICT., sustainable development., Sustainability and Urbanization Sciences. The main idea of Smart Sustainable City (SSC) is to take advantage of the benefits of advanced ICT deployment everywhere and harness it in the transition to the desired sustainable development. smart sustainable cities are a complex concept of smart cities and sustainable cities.

The signs of this city emerged from scientific studies presented by both (Höjer, M., & Wangel, J., 2015). Where you can make cities sustainable without using information technology, smart communication and smart technologies can be used in cities without contributing to sustainable development. Only when smart technologies are used with sustainable cities then (SSC) will be creating.

The first attempts to define SSC were by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) In 2014 “A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, the efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations concerning economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects”.

(Höjer, M., & Wangel, J., 2015: 347) Defines “Smart Sustainable City it meets the needs of its current population without compromising other people’s or future generations’ ability to meet their needs. Therefore, it does not override local or global environmental constraints and is supported by ICT”.

(Bibri, S.E., 2018: 53) Defines it as “a city supported by the widespread and large presence of advanced ICTs and related to different urban systems and areas in a complex and coordinated manner, respectively, to enable Controlling resources securely, sustainably, and effectively allows the city to improve social and economic results, the SSC is multidisciplinary and enables the community to live in healthy environments with minimal environmental impact and resource demand”.

The researcher came up with the procedural definition of an SSC as a future city that integrates and harnesses the strengths of both SC and sustainable cities by developing a common framework to impart human and technological intelligence to overcome or address the main disadvantage of both categories of cities by their contribution to sustainable development goals.

2.2.1 Urban ICT

ICT in development and urban planning refers to devices and software connected through wireless communications and mobile networks that continuously deliver information on physical forms and city infrastructure (operational, functional, environmental, economic, social, and cultural). These technological components are used to record, collect, store, coordinate, integrate, analyse, process, simulate, manage, and share urban data to observe, understand, explore, plan, evaluate, and decision making in SSC to achieve certain goals (Bibri, S. E., 2015a). Urban ICT extends to many systems, urban areas, and subdisciplines, which can be compact with (buildings, Infrastructure, educational facilities or services, etc.) It is also linked to citizens and their movements during their daily activities. For example, it is linked to smart transport., and smart traffic., smart energy., smart governance., smart planning., smart environment., smart education., smart healthcare., smart safety.

2.2.2 Data Mining Science

Due to the Effect of ICT, every aspect of Science is changing, leading to the scientific discovery of data science, the fourth model of scientific evolution (Bell G., et al., 2009). Data science is gaining momentum in many areas of scientific and academic research because it is a science with a thriving field whose unique issues are only recently raised and whose general principles are fulfilled by achieving the result of enhancing decision-making for a large number of systems and urban areas based on data analysis. Data science in the context of SSC includes integrated and sophisticated principles, processes, and techniques spread across diverse urban entities wanting to understand and analyse automatically of urban data along with the expert knowledge used to analyse urban problems and phenomena, expertise, and creativity of planners, architects, engineers, professionals, researchers, and urban analysts (Provost, F., & Fawcett, T., 2013). Data in the context of SSC are sourced from either the (CAA). (Figures 4, 5, 6).

2.2.3 AI, urban intelligence and Context-Aware computing applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) is interested in human intelligence and developing computing systems capable of imitating intelligent human behaviour. (McCarthy J), who invented the term in 1956, defines it as “the science and engineering of the smart machinery industry” (McCarthy J, 2007).

(Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M., 2019) Defines AI as “the system’s ability to correctly interpret external data, learn from this data, and use that knowledge to achieve specific goals and tasks through flexible adaptation”. The researcher found that it is the simulation of human intelligence through machines.

The foundation of urban intelligence is the premise that (AI) technologies can identify, understand, infer, and model urban life situations in a way that adapts or take more relevant actions proactively on the systems and Urban areas. (Bibri, S. E., & Krogstie, J., 2017a; Batty, M., et al., 2012). Urban intelligence contributes to Improving the performance of systems like traffic systems, transportation systems, power systems, telecommunications systems, etc., as well as providing the city’s best services, including health care., education., safety., service facilities, etc., Context-aware is defined as a description of technology capable of appropriately feeling and responding to contextual variables or adapting through real-time thinking capabilities or pre-programmed thinking. (Bibri, S. E., 2015a).

The dissemination of context-conscious computing applications within smart and smart sustainable cities depends on cities’ financial capabilities and technological advancement. (Figure 7).

2.2.4 Big Data

Big data are characteristics or information, mostly numerical, collected through observation. Cities, in all their complexities, have the potential to generate huge amounts of data. The term big urban data does not have a legal or definitive definition in the context of smart and smart sustainable cities, but it can be used to describe a huge amount of urban data (Khan, M., et al., 2012). It is important to note that these data are characterised by spatial and temporal markers (Khan M, 2014). The main features of the large data are:

The huge amount of data, The speed with which data can be analysed, and the great variety of data types.

2.2.5 Big Data Analytics (BDA)

It refers to various sophisticated and specialised software programs and database systems driven by computers with a very high processing capacity that can translate a significant quantity of urban data into valuable information to facilitate informed decision-making. (Bibri, S. E., & Krogstie, J., 2017b; Bibri, SE. and Krogstie, J., 2017a). The data analytics aim to support intelligent decisions to control., improve., Automation., management., planning of urban systems operations., the organisation of urban life., services related to facilities., health care., education., transportation., safety and strengthening of the ecosystem. In other words, data analyses change the scientific evolution model and move from drafting, testing, or manually collecting, studying, and contemplating hypotheses to increasingly relying on data processing, analysis, modelling, simulation, prediction, and verification. This development extends to many academic and scientific research areas and will help make decisions faster, easier, and more knowledge-based.

2.2.6 Data Mining

Data mining is known as (knowledge discovery). Any analysis of large amounts of data to detect correct and new data patterns is called a (model). Mining is a computational process to examine data sets and Check data sets to find repetitive, hidden, previously unknown accurate patterns and relationships to make useful, meaningful and correct associations and summarise the results in new ways (Provost, F., & Fawcett, T., 2013) knowledge Discovery process in databases (includes sequenced and accurate methodological steps:

1. Processing the Data by collecting and screening them from several databases to ensure that they are free from errors, shortcomings, reprocessed, encrypted, and aggregated
2. Data storage in a data repository
3. Taking a sample of data.
4. Choosing the Mining type and the appropriate algorithm.
5. Modeling and simulation to extract knowledge and patterns.
   Modelling means creating a (model) representing an object that may be the same or almost identical to the original system. Simulation is a technique for studying and analysing real-world behaviour through a placebo system and using a computer. (Batty, M., 2012)
   Modelling and simulation help to reduce costs., save resources., increase the quality and performance of systems., document and archive lessons learned. Simulation is safer, cheaper, and faster than experiments in the real world or actual events.
6. Evaluating the knowledge.
   Evaluating the extracted knowledge and determining which of them is useful and thus making use of this knowledge.

Data mining is the automated extraction of useful knowledge from large datasets in the context of smart sustainable cities that contribute to decisions by analysing data for different systems.