Well since you’re asking this community it means you’re welcoming off-the-beaten-path recommendations on that theme 
and if that’s the case, I have one on offer:
That’s a very experimental paper of myself from a few days ago, exploring the ways how cities can become economically self-sufficient, in part or in full. So that’s the economic aspect. The aspect touching on connected / smart cities comes from the tools needed for that self-sufficiency, called an “information system” in my paper. Maybe a nice “reverse” way to approach smart cities, as they are often looking like a concept / tool without a purpose so far.
The discussion in the linked topic also include references to Vicente Guallart, an architect who did extensive work on self-sufficient cities. Conincidentally, he lives in Barcelona, so maybe count that under “peopl to meet” as well.