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When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.

Smart cities

PLOS publishes a wide array of open and cutting-edge research focused on smart cities, highlighting the role of technology in creating sustainable, efficient, and connected urban spaces.

Discover critical multidisciplinary studies from communications technology to smart energy management. These articles offer valuable insights into how cities can leverage digital innovations to address modern challenges and improve sustainable urban living.

Discover smart cities research from PLOS

Cities are hubs of human interaction and the innovations that stem from them. While urbanization has brought numerous benefits to society, it has also contributed to some of our most urgent challenges, including sustainability, climate change, poverty, and inequality.

The below PLOS articles explore the multi-disciplinary research around smart cities and their communities on a global scale. They cover a broad range of essential topics, including Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, machine learning, energy efficiency, and urban logistics, providing insights into how smart technologies can transform urban spaces into dynamic, resilient, and future-ready communities.

Stay up-to-date on smart cities research from PLOS

Research spotlights

As a leading publisher in the field, these articles showcase research that has influenced academia, industry and/or policy.

Smart cities research topics

PLOS publishes research across a broad range of topics. Take a look at the latest work in your field.

Further digital world reading and insights

PLOS publishes a broad range of inter-disciplinary research in digital world spanning multiple journals, disciplines, and regions. Uncover further curated research and insights in the following fields:

Read the latest research developments in your field

Our commitment to Open Science means others can build on PLOS smart cities research to advance the field. Discover selected popular smart cities research below:

Browse the full PLOS portfolio of Open Access smart cities articles

11,245 authors from 137 countries chose PLOS to publish their smart cities research* 

Reaching a global audience, this research has received over 4,900 news and blog mentions

Research in this field has been cited 46,481 times
after authors published in a PLOS journal*

Stay up-to-date on the latest smart cities research from PLOS

Related journals in smart cities

We provide a platform for smart cities research across various PLOS journals, allowing interdisciplinary researchers to explore smart cities research at all preclinical, translational and clinical research stages.

*Data source: Web of Science. © Copyright Clarivate 2024 | January 2004 – September 2024
^Data source: Altmetric.com | January 2004 – September 2024

Breaking boundaries. Empowering researchers. Opening science.

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.

Open Access

All PLOS journals are fully Open Access, which means the latest published research is immediately available for all to learn from, share, and reuse with attribution. No subscription fees, no delays, no barriers.

Leading responsibly

PLOS is working to eliminate financial barriers to Open Access publishing, facilitate diversity and broad participation of voices in knowledge-sharing, and ensure inclusive policies shape our journals. We’re committed to openness and transparency, whether it’s peer review, our data policy, or sharing our annual financial statement with the community.

Breaking boundaries in Open Science

We push the boundaries of “Open” to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. All PLOS articles are backed by our Data Availability policy, and encourage the sharing of preprints, code, protocols, and peer review reports so that readers get more context.

Interdisciplinary

PLOS journals publish research from every discipline across science and medicine and related social sciences. Many of our journals are interdisciplinary in nature to facilitate an exchange of knowledge across disciplines, encourage global collaboration, and influence policy and decision-making at all levels

Community expertise

Our Editorial Boards represent the full diversity of the research and researchers in the field. They work in partnership with expert peer reviewers to evaluate each manuscript against the highest methodological and ethical standards in the field.

Rigorous peer review

Our rigorous editorial screening and assessment process is made up of several stages. All PLOS journals use anonymous peer review by default, but we also offer authors and reviewers options to make the peer review process more transparent.

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