IMPLEMENTING SMART CITY STRATEGIES AS AN INNOVATIVE PRACTICE FOR COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN EGYPTIAN CONTEXT

Abstract. Pandemics have always shaped cities throughout history, and numerous health challenges have been reflected in architecture and urban design. Today, the globe is dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic, which is maybe the worst in history. Coronavirus (COVID-19)sparks a critical debate about how to use smart technology's concepts and insights to urban planning and architecture. As a result of the recent pandemic, this commentary sheds light on considerations and challenges in the area of knowledge in these fields. As a result, it is now more vital than ever for policymakers at the local, regional, and national levels to begin developing smart city and Internet of Things plans. The Smart Cities Mission is a government-led project to promote economic growth and development across four strategic planning pillars: city improvement, city rehabilitation, city extension (Greenfield development), and pan-city development. This study discusses numerous obstacles and constraints in three categories: technical, socioeconomic, and environmental. This paper intends to investigate the feasibility of applying technology in an existing city and transforming it into a smart city using the most advanced technologies, as well as smart strategies and automated judgments; the research uses the 10th of Ramadan city as a case study. In addition, the predicted outcome of this article is the implementation of smart city policies as a best practise for the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt. Finally, it is predicted that more cities would use technology into their strategy in the future.