The article reviews the literature on smart city governance, highlighting the diversity and fragmentation in approaches. It analyzes 51 publications to identify three main perspectives on smart cities: technological, human resource, and governance-focused. The study argues that smart city governance involves using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to foster new forms of human collaboration, aiming for better outcomes and more open governance processes. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive perspective that considers socio-technical change and acknowledges the political nature of smart city governance. The article suggests that smart city governance is not just a technological issue but a complex process of institutional change. It also highlights the importance of studying smart city governance through the lens of e-government and socio-technical change theories. The study concludes that smart city governance requires a balance between transformation and conservation of urban governance institutions, and that it should focus on both economic growth and other public values. The article calls for further research into smart city governance, emphasizing the need for a sophisticated perspective that integrates socio-technical dynamics and acknowledges the political nature of governance.The article reviews the literature on smart city governance, highlighting the diversity and fragmentation in approaches. It analyzes 51 publications to identify three main perspectives on smart cities: technological, human resource, and governance-focused. The study argues that smart city governance involves using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to foster new forms of human collaboration, aiming for better outcomes and more open governance processes. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive perspective that considers socio-technical change and acknowledges the political nature of smart city governance. The article suggests that smart city governance is not just a technological issue but a complex process of institutional change. It also highlights the importance of studying smart city governance through the lens of e-government and socio-technical change theories. The study concludes that smart city governance requires a balance between transformation and conservation of urban governance institutions, and that it should focus on both economic growth and other public values. The article calls for further research into smart city governance, emphasizing the need for a sophisticated perspective that integrates socio-technical dynamics and acknowledges the political nature of governance.