According to statistics provided by the UN in 2018, the global urban population rose from 0.75 billion in 1950 to 4.2 billion by 2018, a 5.5-fold increase in nearly seven decades. Currently, this 4.2 billion urban population accounts for 55% of the current global population, and given the trend, the global urban population is expected to touch 68% of total population by 2050. [1,2] To keep abreast with this growing shift toward urbanization, the last decade witnessed a multitude of global projects across the USA, EU, Asia Pacific, and Middle East regions to cater to the needs of a futuristic urban population through the concept of "smart cities." [3,4] Some of the popular programs include Smart Cities Initiatives by the USA, [5] EU H2020 Smart Cities and Communities project, [6] Smart Nation Program by Singapore, [7] Global Initiative for Resource Efficient Cities (GI-REC) by UN, [8] etc., to mention a few. Existing literature shows that there is no single or standardized definition to the concept of a smart city. [9] However, the central theme usually revolves around the application of information and digital technologies to provide intelligent and innovative solutions to the demanding requirements of an urban ecosystem including infrastructure, transport, healthcare, governance, and security. [2,10] The overall essence and motivation of a smart city is to facilitate the highest quality of life to its residents, while simultaneously optimizing the resources and energy efficiency, aiding the overall sustainability, social, and economic development of the city. Given the fact that the concept of smart cities is constantly evolving, devising a single template to describe the various characteristic features of a smart city can be a challenging task. [9] However, notable efforts have been made to determine and define a few salient features or indices of a smart city, published by research organizations as well as by consulting firms. [11] Both types of reports present commonalities in terms of indices, which are integral to smart cities and hence enable their acceptance with a degree of confidence. Some of the most notable and cited reports include Cities in Motion Index by IESE, [12] Smart Cities Ranking by Juniper Research, [13] Top 50 Smart City
