Advancing Smart City Transformation: Using Connected and Intelligent Vehicular Systems as Resources

This article advocates for the transformative exploitation of connected and intelligent vehicular systems (CIVS) in smart cities. It highlights the opportunity presented by underutilized CIVS resources, including processing and communication hardware, roadside installations, mobile spaces, large batteries, and sensors, to improve urban performance, sustainability, and the overall human experience. The article proposes a shift toward optimal resource utilization, enabling on-demand services that move beyond traditional CIVS roles and support adaptive human-centric smart cities. When effectively integrated, these resources can power intelligent, context-aware services that address real urban challenges, such as congestion, energy demand, public safety, and infrastructure monitoring. The article reviews recent advancements in CIVS technologies and proposes a quality of experience (QoE)-driven approach that incorporates system performance, contextual awareness, and human factors into the design and optimization of service delivery. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is introduced to automate the integration of vehicular resources using intelligent multiagent systems and to extend cloud-based services. The architecture is discussed in the context of several smart city applications, including real-time traffic management, cooperative driving, environmental monitoring through sensor data, and autonomous vehicle navigation, demonstrating its potential to turn untapped vehicular capabilities into meaningful urban solutions. Simulation results and case study analysis confirm that the proposed framework is both feasible and effective in enabling scalable, QoE-aware, and human-centered smart city transformation.