One of the most significant changes of the last two centuries has been urbanization, referred to as the relocation of residents from the countryside to towns and cities, with a rise in population equivalent to moving to cities. This massive shift to suburbia contributes to severe climate change challenges, creating enormous pressure on infrastructure, increasing energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and using fossil fuels. Cities with buildings and transportation release more than 70% of the carbon footprint. By examining the 41 primary articles that comprised this research, we discovered that previous studies in this field have primarily focused on the theoretical and statistical foundation (see the reference list), with little attention paid to practical integration. In this case, practical integration entails designing and implementing the technology and running tests to observe preliminary outcomes of the application of developing technologies to promote sustainability in urban centers. Therefore, in this research, we aim to evaluate the impact of urbanization on different environmental metrics that compromise environmental sustainability. This research aims to develop an IoT-based tool to measure temperature, humidity, CO2, eCO2, and TVOC. This instrument can measure additional environmental parameters that prior research tools, such as eCO2 and TVOC, could not measure. We are primarily developing this tool as a knowledge tool, utilizing interviews and preliminary data collection to identify vulnerable locations with potential for generalization.

Moreover, we proposed a design framework to tackle urbanization impacts in this study. We conducted this study using qualitative research methodology. We also conducted four experiments in the Malmö region and six semi-structured interviews with different individuals who are responsible for sustainability programs, environmental preservation, and urban planning. We evaluate the findings from interviews using thematic analysis. Ultimately, we relate the results from interviews and experiments to the research questions and discuss them critically. Finally, our results show no negative impact of urbanization on environmental sustainability in Malmö. The results of this research contribute to the existing body of literature and propose a framework that helps city planners, policymakers, and government officials get real-time data about environmental conditions to identify vulnerable locations and better planning for urban sustainability.