A smart city represents a level of urban development in which various technologies are integrated into city infrastructure to enhance service delivery. To assess the success of smart city implementation and identify strengths and opportunities, several reference models have been introduced—each offering a set of indicators for evaluation. This study adopts the Giffinger model, which is considered more comprehensive than other reference models. It encompasses multiple dimensions of smart cities, including smart governance, smart people, smart environment, smart economy, smart living, and smart mobility. Based on the unique characteristics of each city, a tailored smart city model can be developed, and its level of smartness evaluated through relevant indicators.Given the absence of a dedicated infrastructure model for smart city development in Tabriz, this paper first proposes a smart city framework specific to Tabriz. It then evaluates the city’s capabilities based on available indicators and concludes with recommendations for enhancing its smartness. To achieve this, the study reviews existing smart city models and extracts indicators aligned with the features of Tabriz, presenting them in a customized framework.In the next phase, for indicators with accessible data, information was collected from relevant organizations through interviews, observations, and review of related sources. After analyzing the data, qualitative values for Tabriz were inferred. This research is applied in nature and combines both qualitative and quantitative data, conducted using a descriptive-analytical method.
Findings show that Tabriz performs relatively well in the domain of smart governance, followed by smart mobility. Qualitative analysis also indicates that Tabriz is a developing city in terms of smart urban systems. However, challenges such as the lack of effective communication infrastructure and the absence of comprehensive, coordinated urban management planning have slowed its progress toward becoming a smart city. Additionally, to benchmark Tabriz against recognized smart cities, several development recommendations are provided.