Abstract
The wisdom of ‘smart’ development increasingly shapes urban sustainability in Europe and
beyond. Yet, the ‘smart city’ paradigm has been critiqued for favouring technological solutions and
business interests over social inclusion and urban innovation. Despite the rhetoric of ‘citizen-centred
approaches’ and ‘user-generated data’, the level of stakeholder engagement and public empowerment
is still in question. It is unclear how smart city initiatives are developing common visions according
to the principles of sustainable urban development. This paper examines how data governance in
particular is framed in the new smart city agenda that is focused on sustainability. The challenges and
opportunities of data governance in sustainability-driven smart city initiatives are articulated within
a conceptual Framework on Sustainable Smart City Data Governance. Drawing on three cases from
European countries and a stakeholder survey, the paper shows how governance of data can underpin
urban smart and sustainable development solutions. The paper presents insights and lessons from
this multi-case study, and discusses risks, challenges, and future research
beyond. Yet, the ‘smart city’ paradigm has been critiqued for favouring technological solutions and
business interests over social inclusion and urban innovation. Despite the rhetoric of ‘citizen-centred
approaches’ and ‘user-generated data’, the level of stakeholder engagement and public empowerment
is still in question. It is unclear how smart city initiatives are developing common visions according
to the principles of sustainable urban development. This paper examines how data governance in
particular is framed in the new smart city agenda that is focused on sustainability. The challenges and
opportunities of data governance in sustainability-driven smart city initiatives are articulated within
a conceptual Framework on Sustainable Smart City Data Governance. Drawing on three cases from
European countries and a stakeholder survey, the paper shows how governance of data can underpin
urban smart and sustainable development solutions. The paper presents insights and lessons from
this multi-case study, and discusses risks, challenges, and future research
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 41-58 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Informatics |
| Volume | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2017 |
Keywords
- : data governance; sustainable smart city; initiatives; sustainability
