Equality in the City: Imaginaries of the Smart Future

This collection explores the future of cities and their relationship to citizens, focusing on the role of digital technologies in urban management. It adopts an equality studies lens to assess how we can envision a more user-friendly and equitable smart future, considering various approaches and arguments for equality. The international contributors respond to the smart imperative, addressing issues of change, design, austerity, ownership, citizenship, and equality. The collection aims to open new discussions about bridging divides, governmentality, and social justice in the context of (in)equality in the city. It is intended for academics, students, government employees, and those working in social justice and equality studies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 286 pages
Publication date: 21 January 2022
Publisher: Intellect Books

This collection delves into the future of cities and their relationship with their citizens, particularly in the context of the increasing prominence of digital technologies in urban management. It responds to the growing focus on the role of technology in shaping the places we live and the way we inhabit them.

A diverse group of interdisciplinary contributors explore the global landscape of smart cities, the challenges in smart discourse, and the possibilities for a more user-friendly and bottom-up version of the smart future. The authors employ an equality studies lens to assess how we can envision a future smart city and identify the gaps that need to be addressed to ensure an equitable smart future.

In the project of imagining this, the authors consider various approaches and arguments for equality in the envisioned future city, placing people at the center of our discussions rather than solely focusing on technologies.

In the realm of smart discourse, hard data, technological solutions, global and national policies, and macro issues often take center stage. Here, the authors incorporate ethnographic evidence to provide a broader perspective, rather than relying solely on the insights of smart technology experts. This approach aims to foster a meaningful social development of the smart future.

The international contributors engage thoughtfully with the smart imperative, the disruptive potential of smart technologies in our cities, addressing issues such as change, design, austerity, ownership, citizenship, and equality. The collection examines the interplay between equality and engagement in smart futures.

To date, the topic of smart cities has been approached from various perspectives, including digital media, human geography, and information communications technology. This collection, however, presents a different angle. It seeks to initiate new discussions about what a smart future could entail and explore the potential opportunities and challenges it presents.

Weight: 668g
Dimension: 177 x 250 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789384642
Edition number: New ed