Smart city transformation is often associated with the adoption of digital technologies, platforms, sensors, data systems, and urban service applications. However, many smart city initiatives still face governance problems, including fragmented data, weak cross-sector coordination, limited institutional capacity, vendor-driven implementation, and low citizen involvement. This study aims to synthesize the relationship between information technology governance, institutional readiness, data governance, stakeholder collaboration, and smart city transformation. A Systematic Literature Review was conducted on 53 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2019 and 2026. To strengthen the depth of the literature review, this study also applies a descriptive bibliometric framework using VOSviewer to map keyword co-occurrence, overlay trends, and thematic density. The data were analyzed using thematic synthesis through coding, categorization, cross-article comparison, narrative synthesis, and bibliometric interpretation. The findings show that smart city transformation has shifted from a technocentric approach toward a socio-technical governance approach. However, this shift remains challenged by fragmented institutions, weak data interoperability, and limited collaborative capacity. This study proposes an integrative framework that connects institutional readiness, data governance, collaborative platforms, and adaptive evaluation as practical layers for designing smart city information technology architecture.