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Who Uses Smart City Services and What to Make of It: Toward Interdisciplinary Smart Cities Research
- Source :
- Sustainability, Vol 10, Iss 6, p 1998 (2018), BASE-Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Sustainability, Volume 10, Issue 6
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2018.
-
Abstract
- As research on smart cities garners increased attention and its status consolidates as one of the fanciest areas of research today, this paper makes a case for a cautious rethink of the very rationale and relevance of the debate. To this end, this paper looks at the smart cities debate from the perspectives of, on one hand, citizens&rsquo<br />awareness of applications and solutions that are considered &lsquo<br />smart&rsquo<br />and, on the other hand, their ability to use these applications and solutions. Drawing from a detailed analysis of the outcomes of a pilot international study, this paper showcases that even the most educated users of smart city services, i.e., those arguably most aware of and equipped with skills to use these services effectively, express very serious concerns regarding the utility, safety, accessibility and efficiency of those services. This suggests that more pragmatism needs to be included in smart cities research if its findings are to remain useful and relevant for all stakeholders involved. The discussion in this paper contributes to the smart cities debate in three ways. First, it adds empirical support to the &lsquo<br />normative bias&rsquo<br />of smart cities research. Second, it suggests ways of bypassing it, thereby opening a debate on the preconditions of sustainable interdisciplinary smart city research. Third, it points to new avenues of research.
- Subjects :
- Pragmatism
services
smart cities
media_common.quotation_subject
Geography, Planning and Development
TJ807-830
value adding services
010501 environmental sciences
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
privacy
TD194-195
01 natural sciences
Renewable energy sources
Empirical research
‘normative bias’ of smart cities research
innovation networks
Smart city
Political science
0502 economics and business
Data Protection Act 1998
Relevance (information retrieval)
GE1-350
smart villages
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
media_common
Sustainable development
international technology transfer
data protection
sustainable development
Environmental effects of industries and plants
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
business.industry
05 social sciences
innovation clusters
Public relations
Environmental sciences
Normative
business
050203 business & management
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20711050
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Sustainability
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....dbda4bcb4470f083236ba580bb39e0b6