Abstract
The article substantiates theoretical and methodological approaches to the formation and improvement of public administration methods for Smart City governance in Ukraine’s agglomeration centres under conditions of digital transformation and wartime challenges. It is determined that Smart City should be considered not as a set of technological solutions, but as an integrated public administration system based on strategic planning, project management, data governance, and stakeholder communication. The study identifies key conceptual, institutional, financial, technological, and security challenges in implementing Smart City in large urban agglomerations. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Smart City into a resilience tool under war conditions, ensuring continuity of critical services, infrastructure stability, and adaptive governance. An instrumental model for improving public administration methods through Smart City tools is proposed, integrating strategic, operational, analytical, and communication blocks into a unified governance framework. Based on international methodologies and Ukrainian realities, a scientific and methodological approach to ranking Smart City readiness in Ukraine is developed using an integrated Smart Governance Index. The Lviv Agglomeration Association is analysed as a practical case demonstrating effective intermunicipal cooperation and the transition from Smart City to Smart Agglomeration governance. The results confirm that Smart City effectiveness depends on the integration of digital tools into public administration methods and the formation of institutionalised governance models. The proposed model can serve as a basis for improving Smart City governance in Ukraine’s agglomeration centres and enhancing their resilience and sustainable development.
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