Speaker
Description
In recent years, the concept and vision of Smart Cities have been widely embraced in policymaking and urban planning worldwide, projecting ambitious urban futures for contemporary cities. The aim of this study is to explore the nature of the socio-technical-spatial imaginaries surrounding smart city initiatives by critically examining the historical trajectories of information and communication technology (ICT), and urban development, shaped by distinct socio-, cultural and political contexts. By integrating the theoretical frameworks of socio-technical imaginaries (STIs) and socio-spatial imaginaries (SSIs), this work proposes a powerful theoretical framework for Smart City imaginaries (SCIs). I argue that this framework offers a holistic lens to explore the complex interrelations between technology, society, and space in shaping Smart Cities.
Despite its semantic ambiguity and conceptual plurality, the Smart City paradigm has emerged as one of the predominant models of urban development. A substantial body of literature contends that the visions and concepts underlying Smart City initiatives are largely driven by a global corporate discourse (Söderström et al., 2014; Sadowski and Bendor, 2018; Joss et al., 2019) and the prevailing technological hype surrounding artificial intelligence, big data, and digital infrastructure. Moreover, over the past decade, the Smart City concept has been strategically intertwined with other urban visions, such as sustainable urban development, resilient cities, inclusive cities, and circular cities, reflecting its adaptability across diverse socio-political and economic contexts. This integration has reinforced its legitimacy and entrenched Smart City discourse as a dominant urban development rationale. Consequently, the Smart City has evolved into a complex strategic instrument, repackaging traditional urban planning and land development through the rhetoric of "smartness" while subsuming and replacing other policy domains, such as housing policies and economic strategies (Sepehr and Felt, 2023). As a result, Smart Cities serve as tangible manifestations of political agendas and technological aspirations projected onto the city as whole.
The socio-technical imaginaries (STIs) framework provides a robust analytical approach to interrogate Smart City initiatives as co-produced outcomes of science, technology, and national identity within specific socio-political contexts. However, SCIs extend beyond technological transformation; they actively shape socio-spatial practices, social orders, and spatial identities. Despite the growing discourse on Smart Cities, limited scholarly attention has been paid to integrating socio-spatial dimensions with the socio-technical imaginaries of Smart City initiatives. Arguing that space is a fundamental component of SCIs, this study advocates for a deeper recognition of the mutually constitutive relationships between society, technology, and space. To capture the multidimensional nature of SCIs, this research proposes a triadic analytical framework encompassing socio-technical-spatial entities, thereby offering a powerful operational tool for empirical investigations. Using Smart City initiatives in the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea as comparative case studies, this study highlights the limitations and potentials of prevailing SCIs in both national contexts and calls for a reimagining of "smartness" through alternative narratives that foster diverse values and inclusive urban futures.
References
Joss, S., Sengers, F., Schraven, D., Caprotti, F., & Dayot, Y. (2019). The Smart City as Global Discourse: Storylines and Critical Junctures across 27 Cities. Journal of Urban Technology, 26(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/10630732.2018.1558387
Sadowski, J., & Bendor, R. (2018). Selling Smartness: Corporate Narratives and the Smart City as a Sociotechnical Imaginary. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 44, 016224391880606. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162243918806061
Sepehr, P., & Felt, U. (2023). Urban Imaginaries as Tacit Governing Devices: The Case of Smart City Vienna. Science, Technology & Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1177/01622439231178597
Söderström, O., Paasche, T., & Klauser, F. (2014). Smart cities as corporate storytelling. City, 18(3), 307–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604813.2014.906716
| Keywords | Smart Cities; Socio-technical-spatial imaginaries; Theoretical Framework; Urban imaginaries |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
