Assessing urban security and safety smartness: A systematicreview of key performance indicators

Abstract

The smart city framework has become a key approach to addressing urbanisation chal-lenges over the last 2 decades. While KPIs have been developed for various smart citydimensions, security and safety remain underexplored. This paper addresses this gapthrough a systematic review of KPIs. The study examines how urban security and safetysmartness is assessed, focusing on three questions: (RQ1) What indicators measure urbansecurity and safety smartness? (RQ2) In which smart city dimensions are these KPIslocated? (RQ3) How are these KPIs defined and quantified? Using PRISMA guidelines,databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore were searched, yielding2369 sources. After screening, 38 studies were analysed. A total of 182 unique KPIs wereidentified and categorised into crime prevention and control (53), perceptions of safety(11), emergency and disaster management (50), and cybersecurity (68). Most KPIs focuson city outcomes, with fewer addressing smart technology functionalities. Definitions andmeasurement approaches lack consensus. This review identifies gaps in defining andmeasuring smart urban security and safety. Standardising KPIs and incorporatingtechnology‐specific metrics are key directions for future research.