Does Immergence of ICT Focused Institutions Increase the Pace of Urban Development? A Provincial Case Study in Iran Using Data from the Ground and Above Mohammad Tondro Department of industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, USA Mohammad.tondro@uta.edu Mohammad Jahanbakht Department of industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, USA mohammad.jahanbakht@uta.edu Shourav Bin Rabbani Data and Design Lab Dhaka, Bangladesh shourav.bin.rabbani@dndlab.org Moinul Zaber United Nations University (UNU-EGOV) Guimarães, Portugal zaber@unu.edu Abstract—Information and communication technologies (ICT) is considered to be a key vessel for development, with a significant impact on urban development in developing countries. This study presents evidence of the positive catalytic role of the immergence of ICT-focused institutions on urban development as proxied by Night-time Lights (NTL) satellite data. We relied on a case study method of Alborz province in Iran and gathered in-depth data timeline attributes of all ICT-based enterprises and academic institutions and NTL satellite imagery within this region. We then analyzed the imagery and collected data to extract patterns, generate trends, and suggest the growth inducive trend of ICT-focused institutions. Keywords— Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Night-time Light (NTL); ICT startup, Developing Countries; Urban Development; Startup Businesses. I. INTRODUCTION The information and communication technologies (ICT) and solutions posed as a candid solution to be utilized by both the development institutions to reduce complexities and address the challenges associated with the increasing demand of urbanization and the needs of the citizens in developing countries [1], [2]. To this end, both the national and local governments strive to direct ICT solutions and to develop ICT capacity in the forms of startups and academic institutions towards sustainable urban development in order to improve the infrastructure and other related requirements and necessities of sustainable development [3], [4]. Indeed, ICT technological solutions not only facilitate the provision of urban services but also are very effective in urban development and social inclusiveness. Studies showed that ICT establishments have an encompassing impact on various aspects of development and could be a driving force in supporting economic development and GDP growth, improving employment, fostering local businesses, and contributing towards other sustainable development factors such as services, trade, education, and health [5]. The significant contribution of ICT technology in urban 2022 IEEE Conference on Technologies for Sustainability (SusTech) 978-1-6654-0664-2/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE 213