The article is a sort of an introduction to the "smart city" concept, with its various aspects, metrics, and problems to solve, with a special emphasis on the actual situation and trends in Russia. Every year the urban population increases and this process produces new complicated problems for the city as a system, its government and inhabitants. Housing, transportation, education, healthcare, infrastructure and other city life domains become overstressed. The need for new ICT technologies and other technical solutions to overcome the main difficulties is evident, but the introduction of new technologies alone can’t make the city life more comfortable and equitable. The smart city concept is evolving and includes now many components connected with better democratic governance and different participative mechanisms. The same trends can be found in Russian cities including Saint Petersburg. But there are many barriers on the way to the implementation of a smart city model - economic, financial, technical, social and others. In any case the discussion around this concept throws a new light on further technological and social approaches to urban development.