Citizens' view of smart city applications in terms of sustainability of cities: Examples of Konya and Eskisehir

Smart cities are one of the solutions developed in the literature on how to make cities more sustainable. Cities where a lot of data is collected, processed, made meaningful, interpreted and stored in the city using applications in information and communication technologies are expressed as smart cities. The aim of this study is to examine the view of citizens on smart city applications through Konya and Eskişehir metropolitan areas. The mixed method was used in the study and; a semi-structured interview was conducted with officials working on smart city in metropolitan municipalities and a survey was also conducted on urban residents. There is a general acceptance in the literature that smart city applications reduce the cost of public services, facilitate and speed up access. In this study, it was concluded that citizens of Konya and Eskişehir cities think that smart city applications affect public services 'positively'. Another conclusion is; demographic variables such as educational status, income level, and age significantly affect citizens' access to smart city applications. Again, as a result of the study, the shortcomings and threats encountered in smart city applications in Turkey were addressed and what needs to be done to minimize the risks were included. Problems related to access to smart city applications caused by demographic variables were discussed and policy recommendations were given to local governments on this issue.