A structural equation model of the critical success factors for sustainable smart cities: A case study of Abu Dhabi Rahaf Ajaj a, * , Mohanad Kamil Buniya b, c , Ibrahim Yahaya Wuni d , Omar Sedeeq Yousif e a Department of Environmental and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University Technology Petronas, Perak, 32610, Malaysia c Department of Civil Engineering, Al-Maarif University College, Anbar City, 31001, Iraq d Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Eastern Province, 31261, Saudi Arabia e Department of Building Engineering and Projects Management, Al-Noor University College, Nineveh, 41002, Iraq ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Abu Dhabi Prioritisation Smart city Success factors Sustainable development Smart urbanism ABSTRACT Sustainable Smart Cities (SSCs) have garnered significant attention due to the accelerating rate of urbanization, and digitalization recently. The main objective of SSC initiatives is to seamlessly integrate digital technology into the city's fundamental systems, ultimately enhancing the citizens' quality of life. In light of this, a study was conducted to pinpoint the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) necessary for Abu Dhabi's transformation into SSC. These CSFs were identified via an investigation of the literature and further confirmed by practitioners via semi-structured interviews and ques- tionnaires. Through these methods, the research demonstrated a robust correlation between SSC implementation and CSFs. With this in mind, the study identified 22 CSFs across four primary categories: people and communities, governance, technology, and management and organization. The study then prioritized these CSFs for Abu Dhabi, highlighting the importance of end-user involvement, accountability, good communication, and project team skills and experience in boosting the implementation of SSC initiatives. Ultimately, it is crucial to consider and prioritize CSFs when designing SSCs to ensure that they truly benefit citizens and the economy. This research provides a useful framework for cities around the world looking to create and implement SSC initiatives that will enhance their citizens' quality of life. 1. Introduction Cities worldwide are quickly becoming man-made ecosystems made of sentient digital creatures that are interdependent and net- worked (Bello et al., 2024). Most people on the planet now reside in cities, and there are an increasing number of high-density cities being built. The notion of Sustainable Smart City (SSC) is, nonetheless, a relatively recent one that is transforming people's communities, transportation, employment opportunities, and way of life (De Marco & Mangano, 2021/01). In the past, people primarily resided in rural areas due to urban sprawl. However, recently, there has been a significant change, and many individuals have moved to cities. According to the United Nations World Urbanization Outlook, over half of the global populace This article is part of a special issue entitled: Advancing Urban and Territorial Performance published in Journal of Urban Management. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: rahaf.ajaj@adu.ac.ae (R. Ajaj). HOSTED BY Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Urban Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jum https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2025.02.008 Received 14 June 2024; Received in revised form 2 October 2024; Accepted 25 February 2025 2226-5856/© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Zhejiang University and Chinese Association of Urban Management. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Journal of Urban Management xxx (xxxx) xxx Please cite this article as: Ajaj, R. et al., A structural equation model of the critical success factors for sustainable smart cities: A case study of Abu Dhabi, Journal of Urban Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2025.02.008