On alternative smart cities

TLDR

Smart urbanism is widespread but often only partially developed, driven by corporate interests rather than social justice. The study proposes that critical urban scholarship should shape a globally oriented alternative smart urban agenda that foregrounds excluded voices and redefines the “urban” focus. The authors draw on diverse initiatives from the Global North and South to develop a general framework for alternative smart urbanism. The initiatives reveal opportunities for socially just digital technology use guided by urban priorities and justice.

Abstract

Smart urbanism seems to be everywhere you turn. But in practice the agenda is an uncertain one, usually only partially developed, and often more about corporate-led urban development than about urban social justice. Rather than leave smart urbanism to the corporate and political elites, there are opportunities now for critical urban scholarship to not only critique how it is currently constituted, but to give shape to a globally oriented alternative smart urban agenda. An ambition like this means taking the 'urban' in 'smart urban' much more seriously. It means foregrounding the knowledges, political priorities and needs of those either actively excluded or included in damaging ways in mainstream smart urban discourses. We outline steps towards an alternative smart urbanism. We seek to move beyond the specific to the general and do so by drawing on radically different initiatives across the Global North and South. These initiatives provide tantalizing openings to a more socially just use of digital technology, where urban priorities and justice drive the use—or lack of use—of technology.