Smart city initiatives aim to tackle the pressing challenges faced by modern urban centres, including economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. However, they also present an opportunity to reimagine service provision within cities. This article scrutinises the broad concept of smart cities and contextualises cultural heritage within the framework of the Spanish legal system. The study’s objective is to underscore the importance of integrating culture, embodied by heritage, into the development of smart cities. By bridging these two disciplines, which are often treated separately despite their interconnectedness, cities can undergo holistic and positive transformations through social innovation.
The incorporation of culture as a central component of smart cities is vital for achieving comprehensive development. Yet, existing smart city and smart governance strategies exhibit notable deficiencies in this regard, lacking a holistic vision of community potential and ICT integration. This oversight represents a missed opportunity to add significant value to cities, enhance competitiveness, ensure sustainability, and enhance citizens’ quality of life.
In the current context, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and its socioeconomic repercussions, smart city technologies offer a means to bolster cities’ responsiveness and resilience to present and future shocks. They also hold promise for unlocking efficiencies and enhancing quality of life. Therefore, integrating cultural heritage into smart city initiatives is not only desirable but also imperative for building resilient, sustainable, and vibrant urban environments.
