Abdullah Alsaiari from Elm explores the barriers to successful smart city transformation and how the Kingdom can turn its smart city goals into measurable impact.
In the context of smart cities, Saudi Arabia is also pursuing ambitious targets.
Eight Saudi cities featured in the 2026 IMD Smart City Index, with Riyadh advancing into the global top 25.
What successful transformations have in common For policymakers seeking to advance their cities’ smart city maturity, leading cities demonstrate six common success factors.
Fourth, they build the governance structures and delivery capabilities needed to take ownership of smart city solutions and continuously improve them.