Smart City Gnosys
Smart city article details
| Title | The Metaverse As A Future Form Of Smart Cities: A Systematic Literature Review Of Co-Benefits And Trade-Offs For Sustainable Development Goals |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 56055 |
| Authors | Sharifi A.; Amirzadeh M.; Khavarian-Garmsir A.R. |
| Year | 2025 |
| Published | Cities, 161 |
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105879 |
| Abstract | The United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to address a multitude of complex challenges facing today's world. Concurrently, the concept of smart cities has evolved to embrace advanced digital technologies and artificial intelligence for urban management and sustainability. Within this context, the Metaverse has emerged as a virtual extension of smart cities, offering a revolutionary space to reimagine urban life and governance. This systematic review explores how the Metaverse, as a virtual form of smart cities, aligns with the SDGs. It focuses on identifying potential co-benefits and trade-offs between the Metaverse and SDGs. The results indicate that research primarily focuses on SDGs related to health, education, innovation, sustainable cities, and responsible consumption and production. In contrast, less attention is given to SDGs related to reducing inequalities, climate change, environmental sustainability, peace, and partnership. The synthesis highlights the potential of the Metaverse to enhance smart cities' operational efficiency, transparency, and evidence-based decision-making through big data analytics and virtual collaboration. However, it also identifies risks such as exacerbating disparities and increasing environmental burdens. While the Metaverse can offer transformative solutions for smart urban environments, its benefits must be balanced with equitable access and environmental sustainability to effectively contribute to the SDGs. This requires addressing the digital and technological divide and environmental concerns to foster inclusive urban societies that uphold peace, justice, and strong institutions. The review underscores the need for strategic policy frameworks to mitigate risks and maximize the positive impact of the Metaverse on sustainable and resilient urban development. |
| Author Keywords | Artificial intelligence; Co-benefits; Digital divide; Metaverse; Smart cities; Sustainable development goals |
Similar Articles
| Id | Similarity | Authors | Title | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
56059  | 0.936 | Allam Z.; Sharifi A.; Bibri S.E.; Jones D.S.; Krogstie J. | The Metaverse As A Virtual Form Of Smart Cities: Opportunities And Challenges For Environmental, Economic, And Social Sustainability In Urban Futures | Smart Cities, 5, 3 (2022) |
| 36794 | 0.926 | Yaqoob I.; Salah K.; Jayaraman R.; Omar M. | Metaverse Applications In Smart Cities: Enabling Technologies, Opportunities, Challenges, And Future Directions | Internet of Things (Netherlands), 23 (2023) |
| 10571 | 0.919 | Lifelo Z.; Ding J.; Ning H.; Qurat-Ul-Ain; Dhelim S. | Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Metaverse For Sustainable Smart Cities: Technologies, Applications, Challenges, And Future Directions | Electronics (Switzerland), 13, 24 (2024) |
| 36816 | 0.917 | Ngemba H.R.; Jambari D.I.; Ahmad K. | Metaverse Technology For Public Services In Smart Cities: Opportunities And Challenges | International Conference on Smart Cities and Green ICT Systems, SMARTGREENS - Proceedings (2025) |
| 56054 | 0.916 | Allam Z.; Allam Z. | The Metaverse And Smart Cities: Urban Environments In The Age Of Digital Connectivity | The Metaverse and Smart Cities: Urban Environments in the Age of Digital Connectivity (2024) |
| 56058 | 0.915 | Bibri S.E.; Allam Z.; Krogstie J. | The Metaverse As A Virtual Form Of Data-Driven Smart Urbanism: Platformization And Its Underlying Processes, Institutional Dimensions, And Disruptive Impacts | Computational Urban Science, 2, 1 (2022) |
| 56436 | 0.914 | Ateeq A.; Milhem M.; Alzoraiki M.; Beshr B.; Almeer S.; Ali S.A. | The Rise Of Smart Cities: Integrating Technology For Sustainable Urban Development | Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, 568 (2025) |
| 56889 | 0.914 | Bibri S.E. | The Social Shaping Of The Metaverse As An Alternative To The Imaginaries Of Data-Driven Smart Cities: A Study In Science, Technology, And Society | Smart Cities, 5, 3 (2022) |
| 36818 | 0.913 | Parmar H.; Murari U.K. | Metaverse'S Significance For Smart Cities And The Retail Sector: Facilitating Technologies And Upcoming Approaches | Omnichannel Approach to Co-Creating Customer Experiences Through Metaverse Platforms (2024) |
| 54115 | 0.913 | Bibri S.E. | Sustainable, Smart, And Data-Driven Approaches To Urbanism And Their Integrative Aspects: A Qualitative Analysis Of Long-Lasting Trends | Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation (2019) |