![]() ![]() Using examples like Masdar, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Songdo, South Korea, Sennett (2012) suggests that the “danger now is that this information-rich city may do nothing to help people think for themselves or communicate well with one another”. Despite its inherent positivity, in a recent commentary, the renowned urban sociologist Richard Sennett has questioned the logic of the smart city and the largely accepted notion that we should increasingly rely on digital technology to plan our urban environment. ![]() And there is little doubt that ICTs are significantly transforming urban life (though this is hardly a new idea, see Graham and Marvin, 1995 Williams, 1983). It is counter-intuitive to argue against the idea of a smart city (though for recent critiques see de Lange and de Waal, 2013 Greenfield, 2012 Hemment and Townsend, 2013 Townsend, 2013 Vanolo, 2013 and for an early critique see Hollands, 2008). In short, the smart city symbolises a new kind of technology-led urban utopia ( Kirby, 2013 Townsend, 2013). Allegedly motivated by population flows, cities as economic growth hubs and environmental concerns, the smart city is currently being constructed as the solution to many urban problems, including crime, traffic congestion, inefficient services and economic stagnation, promising prosperity and healthy lifestyles for all. Entire cities, based on smart principles, are currently being constructed in Asia and the Arab world by giant corporate information technology (IT), engineers and building firms, while smart initiatives have become common-place across the USA, Europe and Scandinavia in the last decade. Numerous examples abound in both the popular media and in academic discussions. Urban development led by the application of information communication technologies (ICTs) has emerged as an important discourse in relation to the future growth, efficiency and prosperity of cities. ![]()
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