AI Cities Strategy Conceptual Model
Application to Four Cities: New York, Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Madrid
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v11.6026Keywords:
Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Conceptual models, Urban technologies, Integrated approachesAbstract
This paper develops and applies a systemic conceptual model to analyze how cities integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into urban governance through AI strategies. The conceptual model interrelates three core components—stakeholders, urban systems (spatial, technological, and service-based), and strategic objectives—to interpret AI strategies in New York, Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Barcelona. The model enables comparative analysis and supports the design of adaptable, inclusive, and sustainable AI strategies. By synthesizing diverse urban experiences, the study proposes a flexible framework for guiding future AI-driven urban transformation initiatives in an integrated way, opening paths to understand relations other aspects of the city.
Downloads
Global Statistics ℹ️
|
7
Views
|
5
Downloads
|
|
12
Total
|
|
References
Ajuntament de Barcelona. (2021). Mesura de Govern de l’estratègia municipal d’algoritmes i dades per a l’impuls ètic de la intel·ligència artificial. Ajuntament de Barcelona. https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/premsa/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mesura-de-Govern-Intel-ligencia-artificial_cat-v2.47-ca-ES_.pdf
Allam, Z., Bibri, S. E., Jones, D. S., Chabaud, D., & Moreno, C. (2022). Unpacking the "15-Minute City" via 6G, IoT, and Digital Twins: Towards a New Narrative for Increasing Urban Efficiency, Resilience, and Sustainability. Sensors, 22(4), 1369. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041369
Angelidou, M. (2014). Smart city policies: A spatial approach. Cities, 41, S3–S11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.06.007
Ayuntamiento de Madrid. (n.d.). Sueña Madrid. Estrategia Urbana 360. Sueña Madrid. https://www.xn--sueamadrid-v9a.es/
Ayuntamiento de Madrid. (2024a). Artificial Intelligence Roadmap. Ayuntamiento de Madrid. https://www.madrid.es/UnidadesDescentralizadas/OficinaDigital/DigitalOffice/files/ActionPlansPDFs/ArtificialIntelligenceRoadmap.pdf
Ayuntamiento de Madrid. (2024b). Estrategia de Inteligencia Artificial de la Ciudad de Madrid. SCWEC 2024, Barcelona. https://scewc.madrid.es/html5Upload/server/php/files/ppt/2an05-presentacionscewc2024-estrategiaiamadrid.pdf
Batty, M. (2005). Cities and Complexity. Understanding Cities with Cellular Automata AgentBased Models and Fractals. The MIT Press.
Caprotti, F., Cugurullo, F., Cook, M., Karvonen, A., Marvin, S., McGuirk, P., & Valdez, A.-M. (2024). Why does urban Artificial Intelligence (AI) matter for urban studies? Developing research directions in urban AI research. Urban Geography, 45(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2024.2329401
Castells, M. (2004). Space of Flows, Space of Places: Materials for a Theory of Urbanism in the Information Age. En S. Bishwapriya (Ed.) The Cybercities Reader (pp. 82–93). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203826508
Castelnovo, W., Misuraca, G., & Savoldelli, A. (2015). Smart Cities Governance: The Need for a Holistic Approach to Assessing Urban Participatory Policy Making. Social Science Computer Review, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439315611103
Chourabi, H., Nam, T., Walker, S., Gil-Garcia, J. R., Mellouli, S., Nahon, K., Pardo, T. A., & Scholl, H. J. (2012). Understanding Smart Cities: An Integrative Framework. 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2289–2297. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2012.615
Cugurullo, F., & Xu, Y. (2025). When AIs become oracles: Generative artificial intelligence, anticipatory urban governance, and the future of cities. Policy and Society, 44(1), 98–115. https://doi.org/10.1093/polsoc/puae025
Dameri, R. P. (2013). Searching for Smart City definition: A comprehensive proposal. International Journal of Computers & Technology, 11, 2544-2551.
https://doi.org/10.24297/ijct.v11i5.1142
Deakin, M. (2014). Smart cities: The state-of-the-art and governance challenge. Triple Helix, 1(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40604-014-0007-9
Drici, H., & Carpio-Pinedo, J. (2025). Urban land use mix and AI: A systematic review. Cities, 165, 106102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.106102
European Data Protection Supervisor. (2025). AI Act Regulation (EU) 2024/1689: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (Text with EEA relevance). Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2804/4225375
Fernandez Añez, V. (2019). Smart Cities: Implemetation vs. Discourses. [Tesis doctoral] Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. https://doi.org/10.20868/UPM.thesis.54320
Fernández Güell, J. M. (2022). Complejidad e incertidumbre en la ciudad actual:. Hacia un nuevo modelo conceptual. Reverté. https://www.reverte.com/libro/eua-33-complejidad-e-incertidumbre-en-la-ciudad-actual_145531/
Fernandez-Anez, V., Fernández-Güell, J. M., & Giffinger, R. (2017). Smart City implementation and discourses: An integrated conceptual model. The case of Vienna. Cities, 78, 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CITIES.2017.12.004
Florida, R. (2005). Cities and the Creative Class (1st ed.). Routledge.
Forrester, J. W. (1969). Urban Dynamics. Pegasus Communications, Inc.
Giffinger, R., Fertner, C., Kramar, H., Kalasek, R., Pichler-Milanovic, N., & Meijers, E. (2007). Smart cities Ranking of European medium-sized cities. Centre of Regional Science, Vienna UT.
Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. (n.d.). Plan de Inteligencia Artificial | Buenos Aires Ciudad. https://buenosaires.gob.ar/jefaturadegabinete/innovacion/plan-de-inteligencia-artificial
Herath, H. M. K. K. M. B., & Mittal, M. (2022). Adoption of artificial intelligence in smart cities: A comprehensive review. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 2(1), 100076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2022.100076
Ji, L., & Huang, X. (2022). Analysis of social governance in energy-oriented cities based on artificial intelligence. Energy Reports, 8, 11151–11160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2022.08.206
Lartey, D., & Law, K. M. Y. (2025). Artificial intelligence adoption in urban planning governance: A systematic review of advancements in decision-making, and policy making. Landscape and Urban Planning, 258, 105337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105337
Lazaroiu, G. C., & Roscia, M. (2012). Definition methodology for the smart cities model. Energy, 47(1), 326–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2012.09.028
Lombardi, P., Giordano, S., Farouh, H., & Yousef, W. (2012). Modelling the smart city performance. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 25(2), 137–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2012.660325
Luhman, N. (1984). Social Systems. Stanford University Press.
McLoughlin, J. B. (1969). Urban and Regional Planning: A Systems Approach. Preager.
Moreno, C., Allam, Z., Chabaud, D., Gall, C., & Pratlong, F. (2021). Introducing the “15-Minute City”: Sustainability, Resilience and Place Identity in Future Post-Pandemic Cities. Smart Cities, 4(1), 93-111. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4010006
Morin, E. (2005). Introduction à la pensée complexe (Reed.). Le Seuil.
Nam, T., & Pardo, T. A. (2011). Conceptualizing smart city with dimensions of technology, people, and institutions. Proceedings of the 12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference on Digital Government Innovation in Challenging Times - Dg.o ’11, 282. https://doi.org/10.1145/2037556.2037602
NYC Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer. (2021). The New York City Artificial Intelligence Strategy. NYC Gov. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/cto/downloads/ai-strategy/nyc_ai_strategy.pdf
NYC Office of Technology and Innovation - OTI. (2023). The New York City Artificial Intelligence Plan. New York City. https://www.nyc.gov/content/oti/pages/artificial-intelligence
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1969). General System Theory. Foundations, Development, Aplication. George Braziller.
Von Neumman, J. (1966). Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata (1966th ed.). Univeristy of Illinois Press.
Wolman, A. (1965). The Metabolism of Cities. Scientific American, 213, 179–190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0965-178
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors retain copyright and transfer to the journal the right of first publication and publishing rights

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Those authors who publish in this journal accept the following terms:
-
Authors retain copyright.
-
Authors transfer to the journal the right of first publication. The journal also owns the publishing rights.
-
All published contents are governed by an Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Access the informative version and legal text of the license. By virtue of this, third parties are allowed to use what is published as long as they mention the authorship of the work and the first publication in this journal. If you transform the material, you may not distribute the modified work. -
Authors may make other independent and additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g., inclusion in an institutional repository or publication in a book) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.
- Authors are allowed and recommended to publish their work on the Internet (for example on institutional and personal websites), following the publication of, and referencing the journal, as this could lead to constructive exchanges and a more extensive and quick circulation of published works (see The Effect of Open Access).







