Contribution analysis of the Smart city Concept to sustainable urban development

The contribution of this thesis lies in the attempt to answer the question whether the Smart City concept is a truly beneficial system solution with a real contribution to sustainability. Two concepts are discussed in the literature search: sustainability and smart city. For the defined indicators, the unification of data into static and dynamic indicators for the application of data science methods was carried out in two phases. The data exploration involved finding the most significant variables across the entire dataset, followed by exploration of significant influences on the selected sustainability indicators through multidimensional predictive modelling. Both phases are complemented by correlations that inform whether the relationship between variables is positive or negative. The results of the paper outline a slight contribution of smartness to urban sustainability, but the lack of systemic thinking comes to the surface. In terms of finance, it is more about the individual projects that the city invests in if there are funds left. Today, to achieve sustainability, the focus needs to be on long-term growth in per capita budgets and investment in social sustainability, along with an optimal current/capital expenditure ratio and a stable unemployment rate. Discipline and consistency in planning can be recommended to cities. Projects aimed at the general good should not be influenced by changes in the political climate. Each time the context is different and it is necessary to make the most of one's own potential without blindly following trends.