Synopsis
Emerging technologies revolutionize urban development and governance, offering innovative solutions to the complex challenges faced by modern cities. From smart infrastructure and data-driven decision-making to the rise of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT), these technologies transform how cities are planned, built, and managed. Smart cities now leverage real-time data to optimize traffic flow, reduce energy consumption, enhance public services, and improve citizen engagement. Blockchain enables transparent governance and secure transactions, while AI assists in predictive modeling and urban planning. As these technologies continue to advance, they promise to create more sustainable, efficient, and resilient urban environments, where governance is more responsive, inclusive, and capable. Revolutionizing Urban Development and Governance With Emerging Technologies explores the dynamic and evolving domain of smart cities, with a focus on strategies, initiatives, and methodologies for project assessment. It emphasizes how emerging technologies, such as blockchain and smart contracts, revolutionize urban development by enhancing transparency, efficiency, and trust in urban governance and service delivery. This book covers topics such as digital twins, sensor technology, and smart cities, and is a useful resource for engineers, policymakers, urban developers, academicians, researchers, and environmental scientists.
About the Authors
Ali Al Maqousi is an Associate Professor of Information Security at the University of Petra in Jordan and serves as the Director of the Office of External Funding and Technology Transfer. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Computer Networks) from Oxford Brookes University, UK, and specializes in cybersecurity, computer networks, blockchain, and smart systems. With over 30 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Al Maqousi has led and contributed to numerous research initiatives, including high-impact Erasmus+ projects. These include BITTCOIN-JO, which focuses on establishing Technology Transfer Offices in Jordan; RL4Eng, which develops remote and virtual labs for engineering education; Pro-GREEN LABs, promoting sustainable development skills in architecture; and COMMO, a mobility program enhancing international academic exchange across the Mediterranean and Western Balkans. Dr. Al Maqousi contributed to the organization of four international conferences as Organization Chair (AEECT 2011, IT-DREPS 2013, AEECT 2013, and AEECT 2015) and two international conferences as General Co-Chair (JIEEEC 2017 & IT-DREPS 2017) and one international conference as a publication chair (ICCIAA 2025). His work has supported innovation, capacity building, and educational modernization through collaboration with institutions across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He is active in academic quality assurance, supervises graduate research, and serves as a reviewer for international journals. Dr. Al Maqousi is also a senior member of IEEE and the Jordanian Engineers Association, reflecting his strong commitment to advancing research, education, and cross-border collaboration in higher education.
Ammar Almomani is an Internet Infrastructures Security and Cybersecurity based on AI specialist with a Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which is ranked #142 in the QS World University Rankings 2021. He is recognized as One of the Top 2% of Global Influential Researchers by Stanford University and the Scopus Index-Oct-2023. His academic background also includes a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and a Bachelor of Computer Science. He has an extensive publication record, with over 113+ articles published in reputable journals and conferences, most of them in Scopus Q1 and Q2 categories, and 8 patents and utility models published as six German utility models and Two India-grated patents. More than 21 articles and patents are under revision. He has significant experience in 20 years of teaching more than 42 topics with various subjects related to cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Engineering area such as “Network Security, Wireless Computer Networks security, Cryptography, Cloud computing, and security special topics (Ethical hacking) Enterprises Information System Security, Big data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, networks, communications, and programming languages. with many international certificates. He taught at reputable 5 academic institutions, Supervising many undergraduate and postgraduate students' research projects and theses (Masters/Ph.D.) from many countries such as the UK, Malaysia, Jordan ..etc. As a cybersecurity and Internet infrastructure security specialist, he actively contributed to the field by managing AI and cybersecurity projects with international teams of top researchers and universities. He has authored 76 Scopus articles, H-index-20, 1380 citations, and garnered over 2,762 citations on Google Scholar, with an H-index of 27. Also he actively engaged in the academic community, with a strong online presence and a large readership and following on ResearchGate with about 89390 readers and followers. Currently working at Faculty - Computer Information Science, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, UAE. He has Five years of management experience with a UAE Golden Visa Holder, and my focus is on improving educational institutes. Moreover, he has made significant contributions to the development of courses and programs, including ABET and AACSB Accreditation
Amjad Aldweesh is a computer assistant professor interested in the Blockchain and Smart contracts technology as well as cyber security. Amjad has a Bachelor degree in computer science. He has a MSc degree in advanced computer science and security from the University of Manchester with distinction. Amjad is the second in the UK and the first in the middle east to have a PhD in the Blockchain and Smart contracts technology from Newcastle University.
Mohammad Alauthman is an Associate Professor in the Information Security Department at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Petra, Amman, Jordan. His research interests include network security, intrusion detection systems, and applying AI techniques―such as machine learning and deep learning―for botnet and DDoS detection, spam filtering, IoT security, and network traffic classification. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northumbria University, UK, in 2016. Dr. Alauthman has received multiple research grants supporting advanced AI-driven intrusion detection systems and international collaboration. He is also actively involved in Erasmus+ projects, including BITTCOIN-JO (technology transfer), RL4Eng (remote engineering labs), Pro-GREEN LABs (green competences in education), and COMMO (mobility and cooperation across Mediterranean and Balkan institutions), contributing to innovation, sustainability, and cross-border academic development.
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