QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SMART CITY IOT INTEGRATION FOR REDUCING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE VULNERABILITIES

Abstract

This study quantitatively examines the relationship between Internet of Things (IoT) integration and reductions in urban infrastructure vulnerabilities across global smart cities. Drawing on a multi-sector, multi-city panel dataset (2018–2024), the research evaluates how technological and governance dimensions of IoT maturity influence service reliability, outage duration, response lag, and failure rate reduction. IoT integration is conceptualized through five measurable dimensions—sensor coverage, data latency, interoperability, automation level, and data governance maturity—while vulnerability indicators capture operational stability and recovery capacity across energy, transportation, water, and emergency systems. Employing multilevel regression, difference-in-differences estimation, and structural equation modeling, the study finds that higher IoT integration significantly enhances infrastructure resilience, with interoperability and data governance maturity emerging as the strongest predictors of performance improvement. Automation and sensor coverage demonstrate complementary effects by reducing detection lag and restoration time, whereas high data latency negatively impacts operational efficiency. Mediation and moderation analyses reveal that response efficiency mediates the link between automation and reliability, while policy capacity and urban density moderate the effects of IoT maturity on vulnerability reduction. Developed cities display greater IoT integration and lower vulnerability levels, though developing cities achieve larger marginal gains per unit of technological advancement. Sectoral analysis confirms that energy and transportation infrastructures benefit most from IoT integration, while water and emergency sectors exhibit lower yet positive effects. The findings substantiate that IoT integration—supported by effective governance, data standardization, and automation—constitutes a statistically verifiable mechanism for enhancing urban resilience. This study provides empirical evidence for policymakers and urban engineers to design scalable, data-driven strategies for strengthening infrastructure reliability and adaptive capacity in smart cities worldwide.