A Framework for Evaluating the Sustainability of IoT Smart City Projects

Authors

Hans-Dieter Zimmermann
OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Information and Process Management (IPM)

Synopsis

Although Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are essential for developing sustainable smart cities, systematically evaluating their multidimensional sustainability benefits is a significant challenge. synthesizes existing approaches and proposes a comprehensive, integrated evaluation framework. The proposed framework combines life cycle assessment (LCA) for environmental impacts, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for economic justification, and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to integrate stakeholder perspectives and social dimensions. Ultimately, this hybrid approach provides city planners with a rigorous, transparent, and practical tool to ensure that IoT deployments deliver absolute sustainability gains rather than merely relative efficiencies.

Author Biography

Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Information and Process Management (IPM)

Hans-Dieter Zimmermann is a senior lecturer of information systems at the University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland (OST)'s School of Management in St. Gallen. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) with a dissertation on the information society and holds a degree in business administration from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.


Dr. Zimmermann's research focuses on the ways in which digitalization transforms communication and interaction across societies, markets, and organizations. His areas of expertise include electronic markets and platforms, digital business, digital democracy, and smart cities. He also serves as co-editor of the scientific journal Electronic Markets: The International Journal on Networked Business.

St. Gallen, Switzerland. E-mail: hansdieter.zimmermann@ost.ch

Volume

39th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings

Pages

917-932

Published

June 5, 2026

Series

Bled eConference

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zimmermann, H.-D. (2026). A Framework for Evaluating the Sustainability of IoT Smart City Projects. In D. Vidmar, A. Pucihar, M. Kljajić Borštnar, R. W. H. Bons, M. Glowatz, & H.-D. Zimmermann (Eds.), & (Ed.), 39th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings (Vols. 39., pp. 917-932). University of Maribor Press. https://press.um.si/index.php/ump/catalog/book/1128/chapter/1225