A Critical Reappraisal of the Smart City: The Rise of the Wise City

Introduction: The smart city has emerged in response to the complex challenges of rapid urbanization, often emphasizing technological innovation and operational efficiency. However, this approach may neglect the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of the city. This study critiques technology-driven perspectives, proposing an alternative framework: the “wise city,” which prioritizes humanity, meaning, and justice. While existing research has focused on technology’s potential for infrastructure and management improvement, it has also revealed significant limitations. These include conceptual ambiguity, a deficit of justice-oriented thinking, and vulnerability to market-driven logics. A narrow focus on technology can lead to soft domination and social conformity, placing technological and economic interests above humanity and meaning. Therefore, a rethinking of the theoretical foundations of the city, with emphasis on spatial justice, socio-cultural sustainability, and human flourishing, is essential. This approach paves the way for transitioning from the smart city to the wise city, a city where technology serves humanity and meaning.
Materials and Methods: This study is fundamental and exploratory, aiming to clarify concepts, identify fundamental challenges, and develop a conceptual framework for the “Wise City”. In the first step, a systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted to extract the key conceptual, operational, technological, social, and governance-related challenges associated with smart cities. In the second step, fifteen experts were purposefully selected using the snowball sampling technique, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. In the third step, the collected data were analyzed using the Fuzzy DEMATEL technique to determine the causal–effect relationships among the identified challenges. Finally, the results were integrated within a critical discourse framework, leading to the development of the “Wise City” model as a human-centered, ethical, and meaning-oriented alternative to the technology-driven smart city paradigm.
Results and Discussion: Using the Fuzzy DEMATEL method, the study analyzed and prioritized the challenges of the smart city across ten primary dimensions. The analysis revealed that challenges such as "conceptual and philosophical critiques," "erosion of human agency," "institutional and financial capacity," and "governance and policymaking" are among the most influential factors and serve as structural drivers for other challenges. In contrast, components such as "social justice," "citizen participation," "public education," and "cybersecurity" primarily appear as outcomes. The results indicate that critically interrogating the conceptual foundations of the smart city and attending to its causal and intermediary layers are prerequisites for effective and sustainable solutions. In this regard, the proposed alternative model of the "wise city" is introduced as a human-centered, ethical, and holistic framework. Emphasizing wisdom, creativity, and cultural and spiritual values, this model repositions technology as a tool for human flourishing and ecological sustainability and offers a conceptual alternative to address the crises of the contemporary city.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that the core challenges of the smart city are rooted less in technical and infrastructural dimensions and more profoundly in philosophical, conceptual, and institutional levels. The dominance of a technology-driven perspective, while enhancing efficiency, has simultaneously led to inequality, the erosion of human agency, and environmental crises. In response, the alternative model of the “Wise City” was proposed, founded on participatory governance, social justice, and meaning-oriented development, in which technology is regarded as an ethically grounded tool serving human flourishing. The pillars of this model were redefined across six domains: people, economy, governance, environment, mobility, and living. Ultimately, transitioning toward this model is identified as a strategic necessity for addressing contemporary urban crises.