Leveraging Smart City Technologies for Enhanced Real Estate Development: An Integrative Review

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript offers a comprehensive overview of how smart city technologies can enhance real estate development, highlighting their potential to transform traditional practices. It aims to identify the added value of various smart technologies across the real estate lifecycle, which is timely given the growing interest in smart cities. However, several aspects require further clarification:

>> While the study claims an integrative review approach, it lacks detail on how the 170 selected publications were chosen. More transparency regarding inclusion/exclusion criteria would enhance the validity and reproducibility of the findings. Additionally, the methodology section should explain how the "131 added values" were identified—were they derived through thematic coding, quantitative analysis, or another method?

>> The paper suggests that real estate developers, city managers, and planners prioritize smart technologies, but concrete examples or case studies of successful integrations would make these recommendations more actionable. For instance, how should city managers prioritize investments in Big Data and geodata?

>> The manuscript could benefit from highlighting gaps in the current literature that it addresses. A brief discussion on how the review fills these gaps would strengthen the study’s contribution to academic discourse.

>> Figures 5 and 6 need clearer presentation, and the font size in Figure 10 should be increased for readability. Additionally, incorporating figures from published articles on smart technologies (with proper permission) could help illustrate current trends.

>>  Line 1197 on "Blockchain and Smart Contracts" appears out of place and should be corrected.

Overall, the manuscript provides valuable insights into the role of smart technologies in real estate development but would benefit from greater methodological transparency, more specific recommendations, and a sharper focus on key added values.

Author Response

[Reviewer 1 Response]

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below (in blue), and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in track changes in the re-submitted files.

Comment: The manuscript offers a comprehensive overview of how smart city technologies can enhance real estate development, highlighting their potential to transform traditional practices. It aims to identify the added value of various smart technologies across the real estate lifecycle, which is timely given the growing interest in smart cities. However, several aspects require further clarification

Response: We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the effort and expertise that you contributed towards reviewing the article; we are pleased that you have positive feedback about our manuscript, and your valuable comments would only improve and enhance it.

 

Comment 1: While the study claims an integrative review approach, it lacks detail on how the 170 selected publications were chosen. More transparency regarding inclusion/exclusion criteria would enhance the validity and reproducibility of the findings. Additionally, the methodology section should explain how the "131 added values" were identified—were they derived through thematic coding, quantitative analysis, or another method?

Response 1: We agree with your comment, you have raised an important point. The approach and inclusion and exclusion criteria were explained in more detail to be more transparent and provide better step-by-step explanations. Section 3. Materials and Methods have been expanded to be readable and transparent. Additionally, this part had significantly updated and expanded to show how the 170 publications were chosen and the thematic coding that was used to capture the 131 added values, additionally more data was provided in the supplementary materials [The searches and publication collection was conducted from 01.09.2023 to 31.08.2024. As shown in figure 4, a total of 691 articles were found in the eight databases surveyed. After using the PRISMA flow chart, 170 articles were included in this study through the following steps. From all databases, 691 publications were checked and filtered manually, and 131 were excluded due to publication duplications. An additional publication identification was conducted through incremental search, targeting smart technologies and ensuring that all technologies were properly captured; an additional 67 publications were added, resulting in 627 publications that were screened using the including and exclusion criteria. The following inclusion criteria were adopted: 

• Relevance to smart technologies: The publication must focus on applying, impacting, or developing at least one smart technology within smart cities or smart real estate.
• Research aspect: theoretical and practical publications were included to comprehensively understand each technology at both levels.
• Availability: Include publications that are fully available.
• Publication date: Include publications published within the last decade from and after 2013 to ensure current and relevant information.
• Source credibility: Include articles from recognized and credible sources, such as academic journals, conference proceedings, reputable publishers, and industry reports
• Publication Type: Include peer-reviewed journal articles, reputable industry publications, and conference reports.
• Methodological diversity: Include publications that employ a variety of research methodologies to cover both theoretical and experimental practical sides.
• Peer-reviewed sources: Only include articles from peer-reviewed journals for journal articles, which is preferable for conference papers and book resources.
• Language: Articles must be published in English, only for related journal articles to have at least an abstract in English to ensure accessibility and consistency in analysis.

After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 203 publications were excluded; 172 were excluded because they were Irrelevant to the research and did not specifically address smart technologies, smart cities, or smart real estate, and 31 publications were not available in full form. In addition to those, 135 Full-text publications were excluded from from several criteria;  62 publications did not apply to the publication year and were published before 2013, which could include outdated information. 23 non-credible sources such as blogs, opinion pieces, and non-academic websites were excluded. 21 publications that are not available in English were excluded to maintain consistency in the review process unless they were seminal works that provided foundational knowledge and included English abstracts, which apply to 2 selected publications among the 170 selected ones. Capturing peer-reviewed journals was also considered, where journal articles must be peer-reviewed or reputable industry publications. 29 journal articles were excluded, reaching  98% of the selected journal articles are peer-reviewed, and the overall selected publications with various types are 89% peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and books. Other scholarly publications are reviewed and edited before publication; they do not go through a peer-review process, such as PhD and master's theses. Also, studies in editorial format and letters to the editor were excluded. 

After the content analysis, 170 publications were selected based on their high relevance to the purpose of this research and provided content that could answer one guiding question or more; these publications had a full, detailed review. The selected publications were categorized based on the technologies it is investigating; some publications investigate several technologies, and others focus on one technology. Additionally, it was sorted based on the level at which they focused on SC, SRE, or both. Various methodologies were used, enriching the gathered data, as shown in figure 5.

Additionally, this section was added to explain the added values

[The added values of smart technologies were identified through a thematic coding process involving several key steps. Initially, an in-depth analysis of the selected publications (articles, books, conference papers, and PhD theses) was conducted to capture possible added values. These values were then sorted based on the specific technologies and their impact levels (Smart Cities (SC) or Smart Real Estate (SRE)). Additionally, the integration of multiple technologies highlighted new added values. For each publication, a list of investigated technologies, the added values provided, and their impact levels were documented. To facilitate sorting, seven general categories were developed: Governance and Transparency, Decision-Making, Market and Economic Growth, Sustainability, Management, Control and Operation, and User-Oriented. The gathered added values were sorted into these categories. During the initial coding process, duplicate phrases were removed, and synonyms or phrases with the same meaning were identified and merged. Different authors conducted a comprehensive review of the list and cross-verified it for accuracy. Finally, the added values were organized and sorted based on the real estate life cycle phases and processes, specifying which technologies would provide these values, at which phase, by whom, and to which users, which is provided in 6 . This list was reviewed and verified by a real estate development expert. This structured approach ensured that the results were practical, mature, and could be easily adopted and activated by different stakeholders.]

 

Comment 2: The paper suggests that real estate developers, city managers, and planners prioritize smart technologies, but concrete examples or case studies of successful integrations would make these recommendations more actionable. For instance, how should city managers prioritize investments in Big Data and geodata?

Response 2: We would like to thank you for pointing that out. The recommendations and steps for adopting smart technologies and the role of the public sector were covered in section 6. Results and Discussion. An extended explanation with some examples was added to this section,

[the main milestones that the public stakeholders can provide;

• Develop a smart infrastructure by upgrading infrastructure networks, ensuring proper fiberoptic coverage, high-speed internet, and robust communication networks across the city. Implement IoT devices by deploying sensors and smart devices to collect real-time data on city operations. Develop a centralized platform to integrate and manage data from various sources. Smart Seoul 2015 [216] is a good example of smart ICT that provides suitable services and urban management.
• Invest in Big Data and Geodata by developing open data portals where geospatial data and big data are accessible to both the public and private sectors, promoting transparency and encouraging innovation. Ensure data is available in standardized formats for easy integration and analysis across different platforms and applications. Promote collaboration between public and private stakeholders to share data and insights, leading to more comprehensive and accurate datasets. , use advanced analytics like AI to analyze data, and provide training to enhance data literacy among public sector employees. The New York Open Data portal is a suitable example as it provides extensive geospatial data on various layers, supporting real estate developers, urban planners, and community projects with improved transparency [217,218].
• Activate automated building permits using Cloud and SaaS technologies by de-veloping a cloud-based platform for submitting and processing permits. Auto-mate code compliance with software that checks building plans against local regulations and provides training and support to ensure city officials and the public can effectively use it. For example, New York has piloted a cloud-based building permit system to streamline the permitting process [126].
• Create a digital twin for the city by collecting data from various sources, including IoT sensors, GIS systems, and existing urban databases. Use modeling tools to develop the digital twin model. Integrate this model with urban planning and management tools to enhance decision-making. Engage stakeholders in developing and using the digital twin to ensure it meets their needs. For example, the Virtual Singapore project provides a 3D city model for urban planning and management [219].

The role of public stakeholders is to develop the city and create a base that the SRE can connect to and develop before the real estate cycle is initiated. They also improve the land development phase, making a solid base for smarter real estate. They impact the acquisition and conception sub-phases. Once the public stakeholders provide the mentioned technologies and data, it will enhance and encourage the private stakeholders to adopt smart technologies. The private stakeholders to utilize most of the il-lustrated technologies but to different extents;

• Real estate developers' technology utilization is more focused on GIS, BIM, Big Data, and AI; the real estate developers' main impact is significant in the early sub-phases: acquisition, conception, and construction. Real estate developers should adopt GIS for site selection to analyze land use, zoning, and environmental impact. Implement BIM for design and construction to create detailed 3D models. Leverage Big Data for market analysis to understand market trends and customer preferences, similar to how Zillow harnesses Big Data. And utilize AI for predictive analytics to predict project outcomes and manage risks effectively.
• The contractors' and construction managers' impact is mainly in the project construction sub-phase; they mostly utilize BIM, Big Data, and AI. They utilize BIM for project coordination to manage documentation and streamline coordination efforts. Apply Big Data for resource management to optimize allocation and scheduling. Adopt AI for site monitoring to ensure safety compliance, with applications including automated data harvesting and site planning. Implement wear-able technologies to monitor workers' health and safety, tracking vital signs and ensuring compliance with safety protocols.
• The real estate agent's role is most significant in the project marketing sub-phase utilizing several technologies. Use BIM for property visualization to create detailed models that enhance visualization for potential buyers. Implement VR and AR for immersive tours, providing virtual and augmented reality experiences. Utilize drones for aerial photography to capture images and videos for marketing purposes. Leverage Big Data and AI for targeted marketing by analyzing customer data to target potential buyers effectively. Adopt blockchain and smart contracts to secure real estate transactions and automate deal processes.
• Once the property is ready for occupancy, the role of facility managers starts; their impact is mostly in the utilization phase and has a higher impact on the project occupancy and operation sub-pashes. Implement BIM for facility management to improve data accuracy and accessibility. Develop digital twins to simulate and optimize building performance, allowing for real-time monitoring and management of building systems. Integrate IoT devices to monitor and control systems such as HVAC and lighting. Apply AI for predictive maintenance to predict equipment failures and optimize maintenance schedules. Wearable technologies are used to connect the facility with its users.]

 

Comment 3: The manuscript could benefit from highlighting gaps in the current literature that it addresses. A brief discussion on how the review fills these gaps would strengthen the study’s contribution to academic discourse.

Response 3: Thank you for the valuable comment; based on it, we have added [It is also noted that very limited review papers exist on these technologies, especially at the SRE level, which indicates a lack of review focus in this area. To date, no other study has covered the relationship between these technologies, their added values, and their link to the real estate life cycle phases. Furthermore, investigating all 17 technologies together has not been covered by comprehensive reviews, as shown by the results of the current study's search method. Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of these 17 technologies and their added values, as they apply to the real estate domain and its phases, has fallen through a review gap.]

 

Comment 4: Figures 5 and 6 need clearer presentation, and the font size in Figure 10 should be increased for readability. Additionally, incorporating figures from published articles on smart technologies (with proper permission) could help illustrate current trends.

Response 4: Thank you for your comment; the figures have been updated accordingly. For Figure 6, in order to be readable, the technology classification group was highlighted instead of the specific technology, and supplementary material was provided for detailed data. Incorporating figures from published articles would indeed help illustrate the trends, but due to the lack of investigated technology in the field of real estate, we were not able to capture a suitable figure that fits with our manuscript. Additionally, we would rather having figures that were only developed by the authors]

 

Comment 5: Line 1197 on "Blockchain and Smart Contracts" appears out of place and should be corrected.

Response 5: Thank you for pointing that out; we agree it was misplaced. It was reordered to section 1.1, Real Estate Life Cycle.

 

Comment: Overall, the manuscript provides valuable insights into the role of smart technologies in real estate development but would benefit from greater methodological transparency, more specific recommendations, and a sharper focus on key added values.

Response: Thank you for all of your comments and feedback; with them, we were able to improve our manuscript and to have more transparency in the methodology, with more specific recommendations and sharper results, and added values.

 

 

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript analyzed the high value and influence of smart city technologies in real estate development. A comprehensive and integrative review was given. From my point of view, the review is complete and comprehensive. However, the following points should be corrected.

1.      The order of citation in the manuscript is chaotic. Generally, the order should be set from small to large number. Meanwhile, in the same place, the references should be in a same bracket. For example, Line 250, [35][32] should be [32,35].

2.      In Table 2, for Journal article, it is written “[189]-[177]”, I think it should be wrong.

3.      Line 378, the collection was conducted from 19.09.2023 to 04.08.2024. I don’t know why this period is chosen, as it is not a whole year. I think the period can be extended.

Author Response

[Reviewer 2 Response]

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below (in blue), and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in track changes in the re-submitted files.

 

Comment: The manuscript analyzed the high value and influence of smart city technologies in real estate development. A comprehensive and integrative review was given. From my point of view, the review is complete and comprehensive. However, the following points should be corrected.

Response: We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the effort and expertise you contributed to reviewing the article. We are pleased that you have found our manuscript complete and comprehensive, and your valuable comments will only improve and enhance it.

 

Comment 1: The order of citation in the manuscript is chaotic. Generally, the order should be set from small to large number. Meanwhile, in the same place, the references should be in a same bracket. For example, Line 250, [35][32] should be [32,35].

Response 1: Thank you for your note and for highlighting this point; several issues and errors were revealed due to the use of the reference manager application. The references and citations were refined, checked, and added in the same brackets where applicable.

 

Comment 2: In Table 2, for Journal article, it is written “[189]-[177]”, I think it should be wrong.

Response 2: Agreed, all references and citations were checked

 

Comment 3: Line 378, the collection was conducted from 19.09.2023 to 04.08.2024. I don’t know why this period is chosen, as it is not a whole year. I think the period can be extended

Response 3: Thank you for pointing that out, we agree; this comment has been noted and adjusted to be a whole year 01.09.2024 - 31.08.2024

 

 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors propose an integrated review on smart city techs application in real estate sector.  The manuscript is well-structured with clear highlights and informative references. Following issues might be helpful for further improvement.

Firstly, re-format the citation style following unified MDPI publication requirement, The present reference list does not meet the journal guideline. Maybe change the 'plug-in' manor to compile. Avoid repeated term used in keywords, such as 'smart'.

Then for smart city development,  clarify the research recap and gap with an global perspective. Particularly, why select real estate as the typical case for SC, compared to other construction regards? How about the specific feature for SC techniques application in real estate? For instance, Fig. 2 seems to show the common life cycle for all SC related sectors.

Furthermore, define or emphasize the key indicators or concepts in this review, like added value as well as corresponding main influence factors. The materials and data process need to extend with more detailed methodology statement. Fig. 3 gives the schematic frame work but without inductive expressions, including detailed assumptions, preconditions, determination or selection standards, benchmark considerations etc.

Besides, the sub-sections on publication analysis (4.2) seems less topic-concentrated, as presented as a possible main findings in the analysis parts. It is preferable to make it more concise and move to the backgrounds as the basic overview.

 

Author Response

[Reviewer 3 Response]

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below (in blue), and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in track changes in the re-submitted files.

 

Comment: The authors propose an integrated review on smart city techs application in real estate sector. The manuscript is well-structured with clear highlights and informative references. Following issues might be helpful for further improvement.

Response: We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the effort and expertise you contributed towards reviewing the manuscript; we are pleased that you have found our manuscript well structured, and we are thankful for your fruitful comments, which would improve the manuscript.

 

Comment 1: Firstly, re-format the citation style following unified MDPI publication requirement, The present reference list does not meet the journal guideline. Maybe change the 'plug-in' manor to compile. Avoid repeated term used in keywords, such as 'smart'.

Response 1: Agreed, thank you for your note, the citation and reference list were edited and refined. The repeated term "Smart" was edited. As the following: Keywords: smart city, real estate, technologies, added values, integrative review.

 

Comment 2: then for smart city development, clarify the research recap and gap with an global perspective. Particularly, why select real estate as the typical case for SC, compared to other construction regards? How about the specific feature for SC techniques application in real estate? For instance, Fig. 2 seems to show the common life cycle for all SC related sectors.

Response 2: Thank you for your comment, based on it we have added subsection 2.3.               Smart Real Estate for a Smarter Cities [The SRE is an important component of SCs, along with smart infrastructure, smart technologies, smart environment, smart energy, smart citizens, and smart governance. The efficiency of SCs is heavily dependent on SRE [1]. Integrating SREs into SCs involves seamlessly incorporating smart building technologies within broader urban contexts through three fundamental integration dimensions: physical integration, which links SRE with city infrastructure; data integration, which enables seamless da-ta exchange and analysis; and functional integration aligns building operations with city-level goals [9].

Based on a study conducted by Al-Rimawi and Nadler [1], a framework was developed to evaluate the smartness level of both cities and real estate and to identify the integration level between them; the study tested the framework on seven leading SCs and seven SREs benchmarks worldwide; the benchmarks comparative analysis and evaluation results have revealed that there is a high level of integration between SCs and SRE, and have proven the importance of SRE in increasing the level of city smart-ness. In another study, another framework was developed for SRE within a SC, and it has proven that both levels rely on each other and that there is a high integration be-tween them [30]. Additionally, it was proven that in some cases, SRE follows a leading strategy where its level of smartness is higher than that of the SC, influencing the city to increase its smartness [1]. This research sheds light on SRE due to its high importance in activating the city's smartness and its economic and social impact on the city. Due to the lack of literature and studies that are specialized in the SRE aspect, this research attempts to fill the gap in the academic field and to provide a contribution that can be utilized to improve SCs and SRE.]

Indeed, figure 2 illustrates the real estate life cycle, and the section fully explains the life cycle, its phases, and process; it was important to illustrate this section in order to be able to connect it with the added values of the technologies, and it allows different stakeholders to be able to adopt smart technologies not only in the early stages, they are able to adopt it every stage, but with different impacts; this can help developers to change existing regular building to smarter ones.

 

Comment 3: Furthermore, define or emphasize the key indicators or concepts in this review, like added value as well as corresponding main influence factors. The materials and data process need to extend with more detailed methodology statement. Fig. 3 gives the schematic frame work but without inductive expressions, including detailed assumptions, preconditions, determination or selection standards, benchmark considerations etc.

Response 3: Thank you for pointing that out; based on it, section 3. Materials and Methods have been expanded to be more readable and transparent. Additionally, this part had significantly updated and expanded to show how the 170 publications were chosen and the thematic coding that was used to capture the 131 added values additionally more data was provided in the supplementary materials [The searches and publication collection was conducted from 01.09.2023 to 31.08.2024. As shown in figure 4, a total of 691 articles were found in the eight databases surveyed. After using the PRISMA flow chart, 170 articles were included in this study through the following steps. From all databases, 691 publications were checked and filtered manually, and 131 were excluded due to publication duplications. An additional publication identification was conducted through incremental search, targeting smart technologies and ensuring that all technologies were properly captured; an additional 67 publications were added, resulting in 627 publications that were screened using the including and exclusion criteria. The following inclusion criteria were adopted: 

• Relevance to smart technologies: The publication must focus on applying, impacting, or developing at least one smart technology within smart cities or smart real estate.
• Research aspect: theoretical and practical publications were included to comprehensively understand each technology at both levels.
• Availability: Include publications that are fully available.
• Publication date: Include publications published within the last decade from and after 2013 to ensure current and relevant information.
• Source credibility: Include articles from recognized and credible sources, such as academic journals, conference proceedings, reputable publishers, and industry reports
• Publication Type: Include peer-reviewed journal articles, reputable industry publications, and conference reports.
• Methodological diversity: Include publications that employ a variety of research methodologies to cover both theoretical and experimental practical sides.
• Peer-reviewed sources: Only include articles from peer-reviewed journals for journal articles, which is preferable for conference papers and book resources.
• Language: Articles must be published in English, only for related journal articles to have at least an abstract in English to ensure accessibility and consistency in analysis.

After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 203 publications were excluded; 172 were excluded because they were Irrelevant to the research and did not specifically address smart technologies, smart cities, or smart real estate, and 31 publications were not available in full form. In addition to those, 135 Full-text publications were excluded from several criteria;  62 publications did not apply to the publication year and were published before 2013, which could include outdated information. 23 non-credible sources such as blogs, opinion pieces, and non-academic websites were excluded. 21 publications that are not available in English were excluded to maintain consistency in the review process unless they were seminal works that provided foundational knowledge and included English abstracts, which apply to 2 selected publications among the 170 selected ones. Capturing peer-reviewed journals was also considered, where journal articles must be peer-reviewed or reputable industry publications. 29 journal articles were excluded, reaching 98% of the selected journal articles are peer-reviewed, and the overall selected publications with various types are 89% peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and books. Other scholarly publications are reviewed and edited before publication; they do not go through a peer-review process, such as PhD and master's theses. Also, studies in editorial format and letters to the editor were excluded. 

After the content analysis, 170 publications were selected based on their high relevance to the purpose of this research and provided content that could answer one guiding question or more; these publications had a full, detailed review. The selected publications were categorized based on the technologies it is investigating; some publications investigate several technologies, and others focus on one technology. Additionally, it was sorted based on the level at which they focused on SC, SRE, or both. Various methodologies were used, enriching the gathered data, as shown in Figure 5.

This section was added to explain the gap in existing literature, and which gaps the manuscript would fill.

[It is also noted that very limited review papers exist on these technologies, especially at the SRE level, which indicates a lack of review focus in this area. To date, no other study has covered the relationship between these technologies, their added values, and their link to the real estate life cycle phases. Furthermore, investigating all 17 technologies together has not been covered by comprehensive reviews, as shown by the results of the current study's search method. Therefore, the comprehensive analysis of these 17 technologies and their added values, as they apply to the real estate domain and its phases, has fallen through a review gap.]

Additionally, this section was added to explain the added values

[The added values of smart technologies were identified through a thematic coding process involving several key steps. Initially, an in-depth analysis of the selected publications (articles, books, conference papers, and PhD theses) was conducted to capture possible added values. These values were then sorted based on the specific technologies and their impact levels (Smart Cities (SC) or Smart Real Estate (SRE)). Additionally, the integration of multiple technologies highlighted new added values. For each publication, a list of investigated technologies, the added values provided, and their impact levels were documented. To facilitate sorting, seven general categories were developed: Governance and Transparency, Decision-Making, Market and Economic Growth, Sustainability, Management, Control and Operation, and User-Oriented. The gathered added values were sorted into these categories. During the initial coding process, duplicate phrases were removed, and synonyms or phrases with the same meaning were identified and merged. Different authors conducted a comprehensive review of the list and cross-verified it for accuracy. Finally, the added values were organized and sorted based on the real estate life cycle phases and processes, specifying which technologies would provide these values, at which phase, by whom, and to which users, which is provided in section 6. This list was reviewed and verified by a real estate development expert. This structured approach ensured that the results were practical, mature, and could be easily adopted and activated by different stakeholders.]

 

Comment 4: Besides, the sub-sections on publication analysis (4.2) seems less topic-concentrated, as presented as a possible main findings in the analysis parts. It is preferable to make it more concise and move to the backgrounds as the basic overview.

Response 4: Thank you for your comment. We agree it is less topic-concentrated, but as has been discussed earlier, there is a gap in the research in that area, especially at the real estate level, so this section can be utilized to improve the connection between authors in this field and would be a starting point to create possible networks and collaborations 

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The revisions made have significantly strengthened the manuscript, and the authors have clearly addressed the points raised in the initial review. The improvements in clarity, depth of analysis, and integration of the latest literature are particularly impressive.

The manuscript provides a comprehensive and insightful review of the intersection between smart city technologies and real estate development, offering valuable perspectives on how these technologies can be leveraged to enhance urban planning and infrastructure. The authors have effectively synthesized key findings from a wide range of studies, and the suggestions provided for future research are both relevant and timely.

I believe the revised version of the manuscript is well-structured and now clearly communicates its main arguments. The added examples and case studies further enrich the content, making it more engaging and applicable for both academic and industry audiences.

Overall, this is a well-researched and well-written manuscript that contributes meaningfully to the field. I am pleased to accept the revised manuscript for publication, and I believe it will be a valuable addition to the body of literature on smart cities and real estate development.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 1, 

Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful review of our updated manuscript. We are delighted to hear that the revisions have significantly strengthened the manuscript and that the points raised in the initial review have been effectively addressed.We appreciate your positive comments on the improvements in clarity, depth of analysis, and integration of the latest literature. It is gratifying to know that our efforts to provide a comprehensive and insightful review of the intersection between smart city technologies and real estate development have been well-received. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback and for accepting our revised manuscript for publication.

 

 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Appreciate the authors' careful revisions.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your feedback and for reviewing our updates and edits. We are glad that our efforts have met your expectations.Thank you once again for your valuable feedback and for accepting our revised manuscript for publication.