Reclaiming the Smart City: Towards a New Right to the City

This chapter explicates that the smart city is defined by a techno-utopian discourse, which presents smart technology as a value-neutral and rational tool in solving all kinds of urban problems. After analysing several ethical issues relating to the smart city concept, Lefebvre’s notion of the ‘right to the city’ from the 1960s is examined. While the Lefebvrian ‘right to the city’ is an utopian project, it offers an opportunity to reflect upon what an emancipatory and fair smart city should be like. We examine the current debate on the smart city by looking at three contemporary perspectives on the ‘right to the city’. The chapter concludes by describing three trajectories that could lead to a more open, flexible, diverse and participatory smart city, particularly in relation to issues of (a) participation, (b) communing, and (c) citizenship. These trajectories are illustrated by providing examples of different smart initiatives in the city of Barcelona.