Digitalization and urban governance: a critical assessment

Question 1

Origin of smart city?

Answer 1

Origin is found in the reorientation of major firms like IBM to selling services (consultation for cities)

Question 2

utopian vision of a smart city?

Answer 2

unrealistic abstraction, technocratic quest to dominate everyday lives, obsession with surveillance and control

Question 3

neo-liberal approach to smart cities?

Answer 3

most processes occurring in cities are propelled by economic and political forces -> the corporatist model of urban governnace

Question 4

Background: neoliberalism

Answer 4

pressures on cities

rankings, budget cuts by central gov. accountability, globalization,

Question 5

background: privatized keynesianism

Answer 5

in the past: welfare state
now: a highly speculative and consumption-fuelled regime

ICTs make more privatization (Airbnb, Uber)

Question 6

problems of cities with digitalization

Answer 6

lack of know-how
lack of resources -> dependency on private sector
dependency on central government
doing nothing is worse

Question 7

potential solution

Answer 7

technological sovereignty

Question 8

technological sovereignty (4)

Answer 8

high citizen participation
reclaim urban resources as common goods
more control over platform
holistic approach

Question 9

problem with technological sovereignty

Answer 9

remunicipalisation is difficult (technology is embedded)

Question 10

policy actions to reach technological sovereignty

Answer 10

1. promote alternative data ownership regimes
2. open source, open standards, and agile delivery
3. ethical, sustainable and innovative public procurement
4. taking control of digital platforms
5. building alternative digital infrastructures
6. cooperative models of service provision
7. grossroots innovations
8. rethinking welfare schemes and complementary currency systems at the local level
9. digital democracy and new rights