Editor's note: This article is part of Smart Cities Dive's "Reassessing the Smart Cities Movement" series, which looks back at the past, present, and future of the smart cities sector.

For years, the "smart city" concept prompted local governments to focus on the latest technologies promised by companies, which were said to eliminate the inconveniences of city life and make cities safer, greener, and more efficient. Local leaders hoped to leverage app-based solutions and the potential of IoT connectivity—sensors providing vast amounts of data to optimize decision-making and enhance adaptability.

However, technology has not always advanced at the promised pace. Meanwhile, new inequalities have emerged, the pandemic disrupted city priorities, and drove a major shift in how cities interact with residents.

Given these changes in the urban landscape, Smart Cities Dive decided to reassess the smart cities movement. We wanted to understand what it means to be a smart city today, and how places are implementing smart city initiatives across the country.

We contacted the largest cities in the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas and asked several questions: What is a smart city today? How has this definition changed over the past five years? What steps have cities recently taken to become smarter? What are their future plans? We also asked about the limitations and shortcomings of the smart cities movement, and how they are adjusting their approaches to address inequality.

We received responses from 15 of those cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Detroit, Tampa, Florida, Denver, Orlando, Florida, San Antonio, and Portland, Oregon.

These responses form the basis of this series, and this article focuses on how cities are rethinking the definition of a smart city. In the coming weeks, the series will explore how the smart city landscape has changed over the past five years, how cities are preparing for the next five years, how some cities are venturing into more cutting-edge explorations, and how cities are ensuring equity remains at the core.

What is a smart city?

Although the responses did not provide a unified standard definition of a smart city, they indicated that cities define "smart" based on the goals they set for themselves and how they achieve them. Overall, respondents said the goal of a smart city is to improve residents' quality of life. Local leaders said they achieve this by responsibly using technology and data as tools for decision-making and experimentation.

Let's start with technology. At the most basic level, "a smart city uses data, connectivity, and forward-looking technology to solve problems for its citizens," said Brandon Campbell, smart mobility manager for Tampa, Florida.

Echoing descriptions from the tech industry and vendors, San Francisco officials believe smart cities are those that deploy "modern wireless communications and devices that provide telemetry data about conditions and actions in the environment," said Linda Gerull, the city's chief information officer and executive director of the Department of Technology. "This definition extends to integrating business applications and data analytics to inform policy-making and resident services," Gerull added.

In San Antonio, a smart city is defined simply as using "data, technology, and services to empower people," said Brian Dillard, the city's chief innovation officer.

Detroit officials, meanwhile, see a smart city as one that uses technology in various ways to "improve efficiency and better serve residents," said Art Thompson, its chief information officer.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said a smart city is data-driven, technology-focused, and well-designed. "It designs and implements solutions to efficiently use time, resources, and energy—improving city processes and residents' quality of life," Gallego said.

Denver Chief Information Officer David Edinger believes a smart city is one that "uses edge technology and data, especially real-time data, to improve the resident experience of the city."

Others emphasized that technology is a means, not an end in itself.

New York City Chief Technology Officer John Paul Farmer said a smart city meets the needs of its people. Often, this requires public engagement, user research, experimentation, planning, and technology that provides infrastructure, products, and services to help residents thrive. "A smart city is not just deploying sensors and creating data dashboards," Farmer said. "Being smart means solving problems that affect residents in a way that is user-centered and protects people's digital rights."

In Dallas, a smart city focuses on improving the quality of life for all citizens through "adopting new forms of governance, public engagement, process improvement, technology adoption, data-driven decision-making, and delivering sustainable services," said Amanda Nabours, the city's IT architect.

Similarly, Jesse Bounds, director of Houston's Mayor's Office of Innovation and Performance, said a smart city "uses data and advanced technology to improve residents' quality of life by sharing information with the public, driving economic growth, and building a more inclusive society."

Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation Jeanne Holm said a smart city is one that "delivers services and uses data and technology in ways that improve equity, accessibility, safety, and quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors."

Portland, Oregon, goes a step further, specifying what a smart city does. The city defines a smart city as one that uses data and technology to improve the lives of vulnerable groups, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color and people with disabilities, and to prevent further harm, said Kevin Martin, manager of Smart City PDX. It also promotes digital justice, "ensuring people have the digital rights and resources they need to thrive—including access to digital infrastructure, shared ownership of digital resources, data protection, and open and accountable digital governance," Martin said.

Some cities have not adopted the term "smart city," believing it does not accurately describe their efforts. Orlando instead calls itself "future-ready," according to Michael Hess, director of the Future-Ready City initiative, as the city strives to "always look ahead, using innovation and collaboration to improve our services and investments."

In Boston, the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics rarely uses the term "smart city" because it "does not represent the rich social, intellectual, and cultural dynamics that residents value and that we are working to improve in the living environment," nor does it meaningfully describe the city's work, said Kris Carter, co-chair of the office. "What makes a city smart? Certainly not the amount of technology deployed or the volume of data that can be collected and analyzed," Carter said. "It is recognizing the strengths that community members possess, and knowing how to build on those strengths, how to build partnerships, how to learn together, and how to treat failure as part of the learning process." A smart city might use technology to answer questions and drive community-led initiatives, but Carter stressed that a smart city never starts with technology or preconceived solutions before dialogue and building relationships.

Some city leaders also said their definitions of a smart city have evolved or are still evolving.

Traditionally, smart city technology used intelligent city infrastructure, including connected devices, sensors, and data analytics to address challenges, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia said in a statement. The role of a smart city is to provide a framework that helps government and its partners "responsibly deploy connected devices and various sensor and data-driven technologies in a coordinated manner." "On a human level, a smart city seeks to transform how government operates, putting the needs of residents and users first and using the best tools and resources to solve real challenges," the office said. However, the district changed its definition of what a smart city means several years ago, becoming less technology-centric and focusing more on how to train and prepare its workforce, residents, and businesses for the digital age.

As early as 2019, Philadelphia defined a smart city in its SmartCityPHL roadmap as "a city that uses integrated information and communication technologies to support the community's economic, social, and environmental goals." "In other words, the goal is to use technology and data to improve government efficiency and public service delivery, and to improve the quality of life for all residents," said Emily Yates, Philadelphia's smart city director. But Yates believes the definition of a smart city is "constantly evolving," and the concept is becoming more people-centered with a strong focus on equity.

Cailin Crowe contributed reporting to this article.