This guide is intended to present, in a practical and comprehensive manner, basic smart city concepts and principles, as well as the elements necessary for the formation of smart cities. These involve the use of technologies and processes, mechanisms that seek greater government efficiency, increased business productivity, and incentives for an innovative environment, taking into account the specificities of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) context. The authors show how cities in different parts of the world use smart technology to improve their operations and the provision of services to citizens. The first section addresses the major challenges in the current management of urban centers and explains in detail what a smart city is and its benefits for citizens and managers, in addition to the impacts of technology use in the quality of life of its population. The second section shows the Smart City architecture from the standpoint of the main technologies that comprise it, and it provides a list of potential applications for the technology. The third section presents the cities that have already begun transitioning from traditional management to a smart city scenario. The fourth section offers a suggested route for migrating from a traditional city to a smart city model and a checklist of items to consider, taking into account the importance of collaboration, integration and synergies between areas. This guide is intended to provide a foundation for discussing the smart city scenario. By presenting practical examples and success stories that reflect the reality of many cities around the world, the authors hope it can function as an inspiration and a reference for mayors, managers, consultants, entrepreneurs, planners and their teams, and that it can serve as a starting point for the discussion of future action plans.