Smart as a Global Vision? Exploring Smart in Local District Development Projects

Evelien de Hoop, Laura van Oers*, Sören Becker, Rachel Macrorie, Philipp Späth, Mandi Astola, W.P.C. Boon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This article studies local enactments of “smart” in and through visions of six smart district development projects. We show that smart cities’ framings of the future are inevitably diverse, emerging from local assemblages consisting of a wide array of heterogeneous elements that translate global imaginaries of the smart city to meet local specificities, needs and agendas. We demonstrate that visions may describe the process of district planning and design, the materiality of the envisioned district and the governance of the district; and that smart visions may play three distinct roles – they may act as mobilizers, instrumentally (i.e. as tools to achieve specific sociotechnical goals) and to exclude alternatives. Knowledge forms a key constituent of smart visions, and acts to include some while excluding others. We therefore suggest that further research should focus on the political and controversial construction and use of knowledge in visioning processes.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)437-455
Number of pages19
JournalArchitecture and Culture
Volume7
Issue number3
Early online date5 Nov 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Funding

FundersFunder number
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme788359

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Smart as a Global Vision? Exploring Smart in Local District Development Projects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this