Urbanisation problems could be solved when cities adopt the smart city concept. However, the creation of smartcities without incorporating sustainable development principles from the onset could render the intended solutionsnullified, due to the anticipated effect of an unsustainable smart city on the environment. The aim of this paper is toidentify the key sustainable development factors of smart cities and the challenges of creating smart sustainablecities in developing countries. The study adopted positivism research philosophy using deductive approach andpurposive sampling technique. Close-ended questionnaires were used, and 76 responses were retrieved. Cronbachalpha test, mean score ranking and relative importance index were employed to analyse the data in the study. Thefindings emphasise the key sustainable development factors of smart cities, such as improving recyclable andreusable water treatment systems and adopting renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the main challengingfactors were identified, such as lack of preparedness on the side of government, and the financial inclusiveness ofthe creation of smart sustainable cities. The study provides insight into factors which must be considered to ensurethe sustainability of smart cities, and barriers which must be understood when creating smart sustainable cities indeveloping countries.
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