# Citizens' Perception of Smart Cities: A Case Study
## 5 Discussion
In general, negativity and ignorance prevail for all the city categories regarding the initiatives that the local authorities have taken for informing the citizens about smart cities. The purpose of the smart city is not the technological upgrade of the services but the commitment to improving the living conditions of the citizens. It is a citizens-centric vision with implications that include quality of life, way of life, sustainable development, and citizens' smooth coexistence. A \"smart city\" should consider the needs and problems of its residents, businesses, and the various organizations that operate in it. Technology is the means to achieve economic and social goals. It is obvious that each of the six pillars contributes specially and substantially to the development of a universally smart city. Every city that envisions becoming smart must choose the pillars of development that will invest in having the citizens' real needs as their main priority. Regardless of the pillars or applications chosen to be implemented, it is essential to have already implemented some preconditions that will enhance the efforts to transform a city into a \"smart city\". These conditions include investment in technological infrastructure and the constant interaction with the citizens and the city's businesses. An essential role in the effort to develop \"smart cities\" plays the technological infrastructure. Smart cities without universal connectivity do not exist. Connectivity is based on three main actors: infrastructure providers, service providers, and local authorities that will define the operating framework. Institutions must work together to ensure the city's telecommunications coverage. Device-human communication is the key to turning a conventional city into a smart one. Undoubtedly, the cities of the future are interconnected with Wi-Fi and 5G technologies. Soon, people's confidence in these technologies becomes a given, and the benefits of digital urban transformation are more than visible. The proper infrastructure allows devices to interact efficiently. At the same time, a key element of smart cities' infrastructure is the centers for the collection and storage of the data generated by the interconnected devices. Big data is now a gold that enhances the quality of services that the city can offer. Proper utilization of this data can provide elements of the utmost importance for the development of the city. A city can only be improved when there is perfect harmony between a city's local authorities and its citizens. Active citizen participation is a vital part of developing a smart city. City authorities must adopt new methods that inspire and encourage the active involvement of citizens. Citizen engagement is essential, and improving their engagement by providing incentives is a huge challenge for local authorities. There are many reasons why citizens may be reluctant to participate in a city's public actions. Reluctance is often associated with dissatisfaction with people representing local authorities or a lack of confidence in their commitments. With a vision of the smart city, local authorities should implement new innovative ideas to enhance citizen involvement and overcome barriers that limit their active participation in the community. Local authorities and city citizens should work closely together to solve local problems. Furthermore, direct communication between citizens and officials seems to be of utmost importance. Our research shows that the citizens of the two countries, although they do not have daily experience with the activities and applications of a smart city, showed a great interest in how a smart city could improve their quality of life. Based on this, we intend in our next research to examine, in more detail, how citizen engagement can be increased and also study various areas in which citizens have shown great interest, such as smart living.