# Smart City Actions Integrated into Urban Planning:
## 4 Results and Discussion
### Ranking of Thematic Areas in Smart Cities
The implementation of new technologies and appropriate management tools contributes to increasing the quality of service provision in urban spaces and socioeconomic development in cities. In smart cities, services must improve citizens' lives. Thus, smart energy and technology play a key role in sustainable development in urban areas' living infrastructure. The living environment is the space where the compatibility and functionality of different technologies and the results created are perceived, and through which management and governance designs are impacted, adding smart actions in the human, economic, and social spheres [59]. The thematic areas were classified by level of importance from the abscissa axis position, with the areas of energy, governance and engagement, and education and training representing the thematic areas with the greatest influence on other areas, being focal areas for determining actions within cities. From the analysis of the thematic areas considering the ordinate axis, the areas with the greatest influence on urban spaces were identified, including technology and innovation, living environment and infrastructure, and education and training, which are strategic areas for targeting actions with a direct or indirect influence on other thematic areas within the scope of smart cities. Next, the construct of the thematic areas' ranking (Table 3) was developed, based on the coordinates-normalized score identified for each thematic area, including a proposal for directing actions aimed at smart city performance. The thematic area of technology and innovation is highlighted in first place, assembling actions resulting from improvements generated by solutions applied to urban spaces and the integration of various services provided to the population. A smart city is a concept of urban operation that uses digital information and communications technologies to make more efficient use of its infrastructure, reduce resource consumption and general costs, and meet socioeconomic objectives [60]. In second place is the thematic area of living environment and infrastructure, with the execution of actions of immediate visibility, comprising a set of essential procedures for harmonious coexistence in society, considering the spaces traveled daily by the population. In third place is the thematic area of governance and engagement, including a set of management strategies for the various urban services essential for managing relations with society and focusing on urban spaces' collective objectives. The thematic area of education and training is in fourth place, where the relevant availability of basic and higher education and the implementation of technological pedagogical structure are highlighted, with integration of digital platforms for monitoring teaching and learning, and with a focus on connectivity and interactive activities. The importance of education goes beyond its traditional role, becoming fundamental for understanding, interpreting, and facing the challenges of modern society. Education is increasingly recognized as a critical element in enabling citizens to play more active roles in the initiatives that characterize smart cities [61]. The thematic area of mobility is in fifth place, being a major challenge for smart city management, given the high cost of implementing efficient transport models and the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in urban spaces. In sixth place is the thematic area of energy, which includes actions aimed at improving smart cities' energy efficiency. In smart cities, optimal energy usage, resource management, and energy optimization are the main challenges faced to improve living conditions [62]. In seventh place is the thematic area of economy and sustainable consumption, which is an area that includes financial resources integrated with the management of environmental impacts in urban actions.