The Potential of Smart City Controversies to Foster Civic Engagement, Ethical Reflection and Alternative Imaginaries

In this chapter, we argue that socio-technical controversies are conflicts to embrace and utilize, rather than to smoothen out or avoid. Building on theoretical insights from Science and Technology Studies and Philosophy of Engineering, and contextualizing these in the smart city, we highlight a threefold potential of smart city controversies to work towards more responsible development of our future cities. We argue that socio-technical controversies are promising entry points for civic engagement, ethical reflection and alternative imaginaries on the introduction of technology in cities. We support this framework by examples from global smart city projects, and suggest a ‘Designing for Controversies’ approach to embrace conflict in a constructive manner.