Developing a Comprehensive Smart City Rating System: Case of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Urbanization is one of the biggest challenges in the world today. Sixty-eight percent of the world's population will reside in cities and urban areas by 2050. Transitioning to a smart city is the key to overcoming the urbanization challenges. This study aimed to develop a smart city rating system that determines the overall smartness score of Riyadh City. A mixed method approach was used: qualitative research involved interviews, whereas quantitative analysis utilized the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to determine city smartness scores using main pillars and subfactors. The findings showed that Riyadh's smart city development is influenced by several factors. The smart economy carries a weight of 17.8% and a smartness score of 74.15%, while smart people holds a weight of 8.1% and a score of 59.79%. Culture diversity, education, and the Human Development Index emerge as the most dominant subfactors. Smart living carries a weight of 8.2% and a smartness score of 51.86%, with health and security being crucial aspects of human life. Smart governance carries a weight of 17.8% and a smartness score of 81.451%, with smart business services, transparency, open communication, and collaboration being the most important factors. Smart urban services hold a weight of 17.9% and a score of 43%, with transport, logistics, urban planning, infrastructure, smart parking, digital monitoring, and safety being the most dominant subfactors. Smart construction carries a weight of 3.9% and a smartness score of 43.83%, with sustainable houses and smart buildings being the most dominant subfactors. Smart mobility holds a weight of 18% and a smartness score of 52.34%, with congestion, accidents, transport efficiency, and a sustainable transportation system being the most dominant subfactors. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Riyadh smart city from the current research will help developers improve and maintain areas aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 while also providing a foundation for future research on similar cities or varying factors.