Dataset Support: Smart urban governance and housing affordability in a rapidly urbanizing west Asian Context: evidence from Iran

The growing need for affordable housing in West Asia, due to rapid urbanization, has further accentuated the issue of housing affordability, and smart infrastructure is increasingly being advocated as a solution for sustainability. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the relationship between the deployment of smart infrastructure and its outcomes at the household level, especially in a fragmented governance setting. This paper fills this research gap by exploring whether smart infrastructure in government-subsidized affordable housing is related to distributive affordability and social sustainability outcomes and whether perceived governance capacity moderates these associations. Using a comparative cross-sectional mixed-methods approach, survey data from 120 respondents in four Iranian metropolitan cities (Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Isfahan) are analyzed, and 15 semi-structured interviews with institutional stakeholders are also conducted. Correlation and bootstrapped mediation analysis show that smart infrastructure deployment is related to lower housing cost ratios and better social sustainability performance; however, governance capacity partially mediates the affordability relationship. The results show that smart infrastructure deployment alone does not lead to distributive benefits. Governance capacity, clarity, and implementation capability play a significant role in influencing the outcomes of digital housing sector reforms at the household level. By applying smart city governance theory to the measurable indicators of affordability, this research work proposes a governance-mediated approach to sustainable affordable housing in rapidly urbanizing West Asian cities and provides empirical insights into the equity implications of smart urbanization.