Climate change, environmental degradation, urbanization and the energy crisis constitute some of the main man-made challenges of today's world. The issues are too big and complex for any government or organization to solve on its own. One crucial element that needs better understanding is that quick and easy solutions do not exist, and that substantial transitions always take a considerable amount of time in terms of development and market penetration. In this paper an holistic view is proposed towards sustainable urban development and planning, sustainable mobility, and sustainable energy solutions for cities. Approaches for coping with the challenges for enabling sustainable development of smart cities during the long-term energy transition period, and for better use of the mobility systems and services, are investigated and analyzed. Systematic solutions are proposed from different perspectives, such as: policy and institutional, technical (ICT systems and services), individual behavior, demand-supply network management and homogenous society. Thorough consideration is given to the non-negligible drawbacks of current solutions promoted or used by authorities, and public and private organizations, regarding new or alternative mobility systems or products for smart cities. Finally, relevant activities for development of standards are reviewed.