10.57647/ccd.2026.0902.12

Analyzing and Evaluating Smart City Indicators Toward Achieving a Justice-Oriented Smart City (Case Study: Mashhad City)

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  • Jamileh Mohammadzadeh AllahverdiKhani1,
  • Katayoon Alizadeh*,
  • Hamid Jafari,
  1. Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

Received: 2025-11-08

Revised: 2026-01-04

Accepted: 2026-02-08

Published in Issue 2026-05-27

Copyright (c) 2026 Jamileh Mohammadzadeh AllahVerdiKhani, Katayoon Alizadeh, Hamid Jafari (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Mohammadzadeh AllahverdiKhani, J., Alizadeh, K., & Jafari, H. (2026). Analyzing and Evaluating Smart City Indicators Toward Achieving a Justice-Oriented Smart City (Case Study: Mashhad City). Creative City Design. https://doi.org/10.57647/ccd.2026.0902.12
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Abstract

Aims: Despite the widespread adoption of smart city initiatives, growing evidence indicates that technology-driven urban development does not inherently lead to spatial justice and, in some contexts, may intensify existing socio-spatial inequalities. This challenge is particularly evident in rapidly expanding metropolitan cities, where uneven access to smart urban services reflects deeper governance, design, and infrastructural imbalances. Addressing this critical gap, the present study examines how smart city dimensions influence urban justice outcomes in Mashhad, Iran, with particular attention to spatial disparities across urban districts.

Methodology: Based on survey data collected from 384 residents using a multi-stage cluster sampling method, urban justice is conceptualized as equitable spatial access to smart urban services, opportunities, and quality-of-life components across different socio-economic areas. From a creative city design perspective, smart city initiatives should be understood not merely as technological upgrades, but as spatial and institutional design interventions that shape everyday urban experiences, access, and justice. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) were employed to assess the relationships between six smart city dimensions and urban justice.Also Spatial dependencies were assessed with Global Moran’s I.

Finding: The results reveal that Smart governance had the largest direct effect on spatial justice (β = 0.33, t = 6.48, p < 0.001), followed by smart people justice (β = 0.30, t = 5.87, p < 0.001) and smart living justice (β = 0.28, t = 5.22, p < 0.001). MGA revealed significant spatial inequalities: the effects of smart governance, smart living, and smart mobility were markedly stronger in affluent districts than in deprived ones, indicating persistent gaps in governance capacity, infrastructure provision, and spatial quality. Global Moran’s I test show significant positive spatial clustering for Smart Governance (I = 0.421, p = 0.003), Smart People (I = 0.312, p = 0.014), and Smart Mobility (I = 0.355, p = 0.007).

 Conclusion: These findings suggest that achieving justice-oriented smart cities requires moving beyond technology-centered approaches toward spatially sensitive governance, inclusive urban design, and equity-driven policy interventions. By empirically linking smart city dimensions with spatial justice outcomes, this study contributes to creative city design and planning debates and offers actionable insights for urban designers and policymakers seeking to reduce socio-spatial inequalities in smart city transformations.

Keywords

  • Smart City,
  • Spatial Justice,
  • Smart Governance,
  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM),
  • Multi-Group Analysis (MGA),
  • Mashhad City
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