Blockchain Technologies and Smart Contracts in Smart Cities

Smart Cities are gaining attention due to the ever-increasing population. The increasing population and expanding urbanization resulted in increased congestion and numerous environmental problems. Due to COVID-19, more efficient urbanization increased the need for smart cities. To address the societal and efficient urban management challenges of these Smart Cities, advanced technologies like Blockchains can play vital roles. Smart Contracts are blockchain-based applications. Smart contracts are used to automate agreements without the involvement of a middleman. Smart contracts are executed by a network of computers once predefined conditions are met. The execution action can be in the form of the release of funds to parties, vehicle registration, sending notifications, and issuing a ticket. The information on the transactions completed is updated on the blockchain. This chapter provides insight into how blockchain technology works for smart contracts, which deliver numerous services in Smart cities ecosystems' in more reliable, data secured, and beneficial for the population in Smart cities. The chapter will contribute to the planning of Smart cities planners, developers, architects, and thinkers for using smart contracts to deliver various services in the smart city’s governance. 

Keywords: Blockchain technologies, Smart contracts, Smart cities.