# A Comprehensive Survey on the Societal Aspects of Smart Cities
## 5 Discussion
This is often overlooked in many projects [309], and failure to do so can result in loss of trust in the governments' ability or willingness to protect citizens' rights. The smart people dimension, therefore, should not be ignored, for it brings many benefits, both tangible and intangible. Another important factor to consider is cost. Implementing a smart city requires significant investment in terms of both human and financial resources. Despite the potential benefits, many cities may not have the necessary resources or the willingness to undertake a project that may not yield immediate results. This can be seen globally, affecting both developed and developing nations. One possible solution is to establish public-private partnerships (PPP), where a city collaborates with a private company to implement the project. The city benefits from the completed project at a reduced cost, while the company can enjoy various advantages, such as receiving payment upfront, a share of the project's revenue, and data collection. For example, in India, seventy percent of the funding for smart cities comes from public sources, with the remaining thirty having to come from private ones. However, not all projects are able to gather private support, and when that happens, the project flounders and development has to be scaled down or stopped [310]. Furthermore, the United Nations have promoted public-private partnerships as a way to achieve sustainable development, with governments of various nations (e.g., European Union, United States, and China) instituting policy changes to encourage PPPs [311]. However, independent monitoring is crucial to prevent abuses [312]. The implementation of the smart city can also be completed in stages. Rather than undertaking a single, expensive project, a city may opt to implement multiple smaller projects over an extended period [313]. This approach enables a more gradual and less burdensome allocation of resources while gradually upgrading the city and reaping the benefits of each project. Additionally, it allows skeptical citizens or stakeholders to experience the benefits of a smart city, thereby garnering more support for subsequent projects [59]. It is also important to state that there are many methods for ranking smart cities but no universally accepted standard method. This is due to the existence of both objective and subjective factors in city ranking and the fact that different individuals have varying opinions and interests regarding which factors are important. If a consensus cannot be reached, implementing a standard ranking method may prove difficult. However, individual methods have their own benefits and can be used in conjunction with each other to achieve a very close approximation of reality that can be used to guide a smart city's development. Finally, it should be noted the importance to remain objective and understand that smart cities and their associated technologies are not a panacea. Despite their growing popularity and benefits, smart cities also have disadvantages that must be considered [314]. Even a fully realized smart city will not magically solve all of its problems. For instance, smart cities contribute to the fight against climate change and the mitigation of its effects, but they cannot achieve this goal alone. Other solutions are also necessary [315; 316].