--- title: 4 Key Principles for Smart City Solutions description: This blog post explores 4 key principles for Smart City solutions. image: https://blog.masabi.com/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-10%20at%2010.04.12.png --- [![](https://blog.masabi.com/hs-fs/hubfs/masabi%20186.png?width=150&name=masabi%20186.png "masabi 186.png")](http://www.masabi.com/) ![smarttransitapp.png](https://blog.masabi.com/hs-fs/hubfs/smarttransitapp.png?width=842&name=smarttransitapp.png "smarttransitapp.png") 17-Jan-2017 09:00:00 by [James Gooch](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/author/james-gooch) # 4 Key Principles for Smart City Solutions - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Selecting the right smart city solutions is difficult. There are a lot of new, innovative and exciting technologies being developed around the world. The challenge lies in seeing past the dazzling tech and selecting solutions that give the most value and provide the best return on investment from financial, economic and political points of view. In this blog post we run through 4 key principles to help select solutions right for your city.     Improvements in the urban experience will be accomplished by implementing smart solutions that are aligned with these four key principles:   1. **Smart cities are experience-oriented**: Citizens only show up to have an experience or receive a service, not to plan it or purchase it. 2. **Smart cities adopt a solutions-oriented approach**: Cities build on the lessons of the past and apply technology specifically to address problems, instead of investing in IT for IT's sake, or projects which never get at the issues to be solved. 3. **Smart cities are fully digitized**: All services and infrastructure are optimized for a mobile-first population, with physical backup services for those without digital access. 4. **Smart city services and infrastructure are seamlessly interconnected**: Services are accessed through mobile device apps using deeplinking APIs and software development kits (SDKs). This will connect ecosystems of best-of-breed city services breaking down service/operator silos, and is facilitated by infrastructure providers and cities sharing data and linking services for the benefit of all.   Whatever final form smart cities take, these are principles that will make smart city solutions work for their inhabitants.   The process has already begun in different cities around the world, both for adapting existing infrastructure to smart uses and completely rethinking how traditional systems can be implemented in a new urban area. Examples of these can be found in the paper: [Smart City Principles to Prepare for 2050: A Guide to Assessing Smart City Solutions](https://info.masabi.com/smart-city-principles-to-prepare-for-2050-a-guide-to-assessing-smart-city-solutions) [![scpp2050-1.png](https://blog.masabi.com/hs-fs/hubfs/scpp2050-1.png?width=805&height=421&name=scpp2050-1.png)](https://info.masabi.com/smart-city-principles-to-prepare-for-2050-a-guide-to-assessing-smart-city-solutions) ### Written by [James Gooch](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/author/james-gooch) ![](https://blog.masabi.com/hubfs/james%20gooch.png) Head of Marketing at Masabi. Find me on: [LinkedIn](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-gooch-3b9949b) [ ### San Joaquin Regional Transit District Launches Open Payments with Masabi, Delivering “A Faster, Easy Way to Pay” Across Stockton and the Central Valley Jul 2, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/san-joaquin-regional-transit-district-launches-open-payments-with-masabi-delivering-a-faster-easy-way-to-pay-across-stockton-and-the-central-valley) [ ### How SaaS Fare Collection Keeps Getting Faster at Scale Jun 30, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/how-saas-fare-collection-keeps-getting-faster-at-scale) [ ### Tap, Ride, Repeat: How Masabi Is Scaling Open Payments Across North America Jun 30, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/tap-ride-repeat-how-masabi-is-scaling-open-payments-across-north-america) ### Menu [Fare Payments as a Service](http://www.masabi.com/fare-payments-as-a-service/) [Justride Platform](http://www.masabi.com/justride-mobile-ticketing/) [Account Based Ticketing ](http://www.masabi.com/account-based-ticketing/) [Mobility as a Service](http://www.masabi.com/mobility-as-a-service/) [Mobile Ticketing ](http://www.masabi.com/mobile-ticketing/) [Contactless EMV](http://www.masabi.com/contactless-emv-ticketing/) [Blog](https://blog.masabi.com/blog) [Content ](http://www.masabi.com/resources/) [Careers ](http://www.masabi.com/we-are-hiring/) [Contact Us ](https://www.masabi.com/about/) [Request a Demo ](https://info.masabi.com/justridedemo) ### About Justride Masabi’s Justride is the leading Fare Payments platform for public transport. Transit agencies and operators can sign up to mobile ticketing services, enable Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and deploy an account-based system allowing passengers to simply tap a contactless bank card, mobile device and smartcard to travel, without needing to buy a ticket or understand fares. With over seventy agencies of all sizes across ten countries signed up, Justride is leading the movement away from bespoke and expensive ticket systems to Fare Payments as a Service. ### About Masabi At Masabi we believe a new Fare Payments system allowing passengers to just tap and ride, without needing to buy a ticket or understand fares, should be available to every passenger and every transit agency around the globe, without prohibitive costs or taking years to deliver. By providing a Fare Payments platform which is constantly improving and connected with leading mobility applications (for full first-last mile journeys) Masabi is helping passengers move seamlessly from A to B, attracting more people to conveniently ride public transit. ### Masabi Newsletter © Masabi Services - All Right Reserved. **