Smart, autonomous and sustainable cities? A critical analysis from the perspective of strong, weak and super weak sustainability

Technological innovations are accelerating globally, fostering the diffusion of urban models such as smart cities and, more recently, autonomous cities. While smart cities rely on the strategic use of data and digital technologies to optimize urban services, autonomous cities take a further step by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into urban decision-making and governance processes. In this context, sustainability remains a core principle of urban development and can be pursued through two distinct paradigms, namely weak sustainability and strong sustainability. This paper examines how smart and autonomous city models relate to these paradigms. Through a literature review, the study collects and compares the key definitions of each paradigm, in order to develop a comparative analytical framework for investigating and positioning the two urban models under examination. The findings offer a critical reflection on the contemporary challenge of harmoniously integrating various forms of capital, both traditional and emerging, and emphasize the importance of ensuring that cities evolve into truly sustainable spaces, capable of balancing technological progress, social inclusion, and environmental protection. Conceptually, the paper advances the notion of super weak sustainability, to critically reflect on how, in the age of AI, technology is subordinating natural and human capital.