Data-driven smart eco-cities and sustainable integrated districts: A best-evidence synthesis approach to an extensive literature review

Abstract As materializations of trends toward developing and implementing urban socio-technical enviro-economic experiments for transition, eco-cities have recently received strong government institutional support in many countries around the world due to their ability function as an innovative strategic niche where test introduce various reforms. There are models eco-city based mainly on either following principles ecology or combining strategies sustainable cities solutions smart cities. The most prominent among these integrated districts data-driven eco-cities. latter model represents unprecedented transformative changes is currently undergoing light recent paradigm shift science technology brought by big data analytics. This motivated growing need tackle problematicity surrounding terms planning, development, governance approaches practices. Employing a combination both best-evidence synthesis narrative approaches, this paper provides comprehensive state-of-the-art thematic literature review new area significant gap itself that seeks fill together with what extent integration eco-urbanism urbanism addressed era data, driving factors behind it, forms directions it takes. study reveals district developments increasingly embracing compact city becoming common expansion route achieve sustainability. It also shows projects capitalizing technologies implement environmental, economic, social being accomplished strengths harnessing synergies ways enable improve performance respect sustainability its tripartite composition. turn means will change fundamental irreversible how be monitored, understood, analyzed, planned, designed, governed. However, poses risks drawbacks overcome order desired outcomes ecological broader sense. One key critical questions raised regard pertains very potentiality technocratic associated negative implications hidden pitfalls. In addition, shedding increasing adoption uptake eco-urbanism, assist policymakers planners assessing pros cons when effectuating ecologically transformations well stimulate prospective research further debates topic.