Smart city development has been brought into the spotlight frequently in recent years. As the implementation of digital solutions by municipal governments has accelerated during the pandemic, more municipalities are considering the integration of a smart city framework. City authorities focus on better delivering services to citizens in a modern, efficient and sustainable way. Recent literature shows an ongoing interest among scholars regarding this topic and underlines the need for further research. By underlining opportunities and ways of overcoming the challenges in the adoption of this framework, this paper aims to highlight elements that make a city the perfect candidate for being called smart.