Ana-Maria GOLITA1, Augustin SEMENESCU2, Ionut-Cristian SCURTU3, Tanase TASENTE4 and Romeo BOSNEAGU5,6
Abstract. Smart cities represent one of the most ambitious urban development initiatives of the 21st century, promising to leverage digital technology to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and quality of life. However, the success of these initiatives depends not merely on technological sophistication but on the complex interplay between technological systems and the social, institutional, and human dimensions they serve. This is where socio-technical systems thinking becomes essential. A socio-technical system is an integrated perspective that recognizes how technology and society co-evolve, shaping each other in a continuous feedback loop. In the context of smart cities, this approach acknowledges that technological infrastructure, human behavior, organizational structures, policies, and cultural values must all work together harmoniously for urban innovations to achieve their intended impact.
Keywords: smart cities, socio-technical systems, digital infrastructure, Romania, urban-rural disparities, digital inclusion.
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscieco.2026.3.79
1 National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania, ORCID No. 0009-0008-1607-5898, ana_maria.golita@stud.fiir.upb.ro,
2 National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania, ORCID No. 0000-0001-6864-3297, asemenescu2002@yahoo.com,
3 National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania, ORCID No. 0000-0003-3105-6384, scurtucristian@yahoo.com,
4 Ovidius University of Constanta, Constanta, Romania, ORCID No. 0000-0002-3164-5894, tanase.tasente@365.univ-ovidius.ro,
5 Romanian Naval Academy “Mircea cel Bătrân”, Constanta, Romania,
6 “Tomis” University Constanta, Romania, ORCID No. 0000-0002-6015-6512, romeo_bosneagu@yahoo.com
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Economy, Law, Sociology, Volume 9 no 3, 2026