Description
This paper engages with the political in the smart city, proposing a distinct approach to critical research on this topic. In the growing debate around smart cities, considerations about the politics of technologies and their uneven effects on different urban groups tend to fade into the background, overshadowed by concerns for the efficient, data-driven management of the city. Yet, the contested geographies of Jerusalem force us to take the politics of smart city technologies seriously.Theoretically, and in contrast with prevalent trends in geoweb studies, I draw on recent work in Science and Technology Studies (STS), and adopt a pragmatist understanding of politics. If the ‘political’ is a type of situation where matters of shared concerned are not being addressed, then map-issues provide an empirical opportunity to explore the politics of these maps.
I focus here on three map providers - Google Maps, Waze, and OpenStreetMap. I use a mix of digital and ethnographic methods to trace the issues implicated in these maps. After discussing the merits and pitfalls of this approach, I go on to present some preliminary findings, and some ideas on how to take the research further.
| Period | 15 Jun 2017 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Smart City, Smart Citizens |
| Event type | Conference |
| Degree of Recognition | International |