Exploring the Metaverse’s Role in Advancing Smart Cities and the UN Sustainability Goals

This study explores how the metaverse can enhance smart city development and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially in health, education, and urban planning. While offering transformative potential, it also warns of risks like digital inequality, environmental impact, and governance gaps.

In an era marked by technological acceleration and global urban challenges, researchers Ayyoob Sharifi (Hiroshima University and The University of Queensland), Melika Amirzadeh and Amir Reza Khavarian-Garmsir (University of Isfahan) have delivered a timely analysis of one of the most talked-about concepts of our digital future: the metaverse. Published in Cities, their study conducts a systematic literature review to understand the potential role of the metaverse in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on 83 peer-reviewed papers and using the PRISMA framework, the authors explore how immersive digital technologies ranging from virtual and augmented reality to AI and blockchain could reimagine urban living, governance, and equity.

A Digital Boost for Health, Education, and Urban Innovation

The review finds that the metaverse has gained significant traction in academic research for its potential to enhance progress in five key SDGs: health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities (SDG 11), and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). In the healthcare sector, VR technologies are already transforming neurosurgical training, remote rehabilitation, and mental health care. Projects like the BewARe system, which supports seniors with wearable AR devices, demonstrate how immersive tech can offer non-invasive treatments.

In education, the metaverse offers immersive, interactive learning environments, particularly beneficial for underrepresented communities. From climate change simulations to AR-enhanced cultural heritage games, virtual platforms are helping students and lifelong learners alike engage with complex subjects in a hands-on manner. Meanwhile, urban planners are turning to digital twins—virtual replicas of cities—to test infrastructure strategies and simulate disaster responses. Cities like Seoul, Dubai, and Helsinki are already experimenting with metaverse applications to streamline public services, enhance citizen participation, and promote sustainability.

Bridging the Gap or Deepening the Divide?

While the metaverse offers exciting opportunities, the researchers caution against its potential to widen existing social inequalities. Access to VR headsets, high-speed internet, and digital literacy training remains uneven, particularly in developing regions and marginalized urban communities. As a result, the very people who stand to benefit most from improved education, health care, and public engagement could be excluded.

The literature reviewed points to the risk of a growing digital divide that undermines equity-focused goals such as poverty eradication (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). Although the metaverse can visualize and simulate the experiences of vulnerable populations, these groups may have limited agency or access within the virtual space itself. For example, while VR can be used to raise awareness about gender-based violence or promote women’s leadership in digital spaces, cultural and financial barriers may prevent meaningful participation by the very groups these tools are designed to support.

Environmental Costs Behind the Virtual Curtain

One of the most pressing concerns raised in the study is the environmental footprint of the metaverse. High-powered servers, data centers, and blockchain infrastructure consume vast amounts of electricity, often sourced from fossil fuels. Additionally, the cooling systems needed to maintain these facilities use enormous volumes of water, posing serious challenges to clean water and energy sustainability (SDGs 6 and 7).

While the metaverse is promoted as an energy-saving alternative to physical travel or consumption, such as through virtual tourism or digital product testing, these benefits could be eclipsed by the growth in electronic waste, rare-earth mineral extraction, and carbon emissions. The review highlights that responsible consumption (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13) will require a more balanced approach, including standards for energy efficiency and sustainable hardware development.

Toward Responsible and Inclusive Digital Futures

Governance emerges as a critical blind spot in the existing literature. Despite the importance of SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), few studies examine how the metaverse can support transparent, inclusive, and secure governance. The authors argue that regulatory oversight must evolve alongside the technology to protect privacy, prevent misinformation, and ensure diverse cultural representation.

Moreover, the study urges collaborative frameworks that unite tech developers, urban planners, policymakers, and civil society. The metaverse should not become a playground for big tech, but rather a public-oriented digital commons that reflects the values of equity, sustainability, and accessibility. The researchers recommend public-private partnerships, open data standards, and digital literacy programs to mitigate the risks of exclusion and misuse. They also stress the need for empirical, place-based research, especially in the Global South, to ground future metaverse integration in real-world needs and capacities.

Harnessing Potential, Navigating Pitfalls

Sharifi and his co-authors present the metaverse as a powerful but double-edged tool in the smart city toolbox. It offers immense potential to enhance healthcare, education, infrastructure, and environmental awareness, yet it also risks deepening inequality, consuming unsustainable resources, and sidelining vulnerable groups. The metaverse is not the inevitable future of urban life; rather, it is a choice. Cities must decide how to build digital spaces that are inclusive, just, and environmentally conscious. With thoughtful governance, equitable access, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the metaverse can be more than a tech trend, it can be a catalyst for real-world sustainability and resilience.