Investigating the Current Situation of Smart Evolution in Tabriz Metropolis

Increasing urbanization and population growth in cities introduce social, economic, and environmental challenges. Globally, these challenges have become a major driver for urban development in the 21st century, alongside the expansion of information and communication technology (ICT). Urban planning is now focused on applying a systematic approach to generate models which can be applied to 21st-century city development, addressing and overcoming the problems associated with increasing urbanization. The development of “smart cities” is an example of one such conceptual model. The combination of ICT with urban planning, forming the foundation of the theory underlying smart cities, reveals a new form of development and is an effective approach to achieve better urban management. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the current state of smart evolution in the metropolis of Tabriz. Firstly, the ICT infrastructure (ICT Development Index, ie IDI) was investigated. The results of this study show that East Azerbaijan province, particularly the metropolis of Tabriz with an IDI equal to 6.76 in 2020, was ranked 15th  in the country. Moreover, the value of this index and all three sub-indices in the last decade have been higher than the national average and have grown significantly. Secondly, using the subject literature, 74 indicators in six smart city dimensions: smart people, smart economy, smart environment, smart life, smart government, and smart mobility were compiled and, by means of questionnaires, analyzed using information and statistics in statistical yearbooks and Python software. The results reflect the degree of intelligence of this city on a macro-scale, with a score of 0.166 per unit. Furthermore, investigations into the status of the six dimensions indicate that the dimension of the smart environment with a score of 0.26 per unit, has the highest score among other dimensions, while smart governance (government) and smart life have the lowest score respectively with 0.116 and 0.126 scores.