Whose Right to the Smart City?

March 2016 – February 2018
Network Partners: Plymouth University (UK) (PI), University College London (UK) (CoI), Universidade Federale de Minais Gerais (Brazil) and CAG (India)
AHRC International Research Network

The network will critically address the smart city agenda, and investigate the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in marginalised communities at a range of global contexts. Taking the right to the city as a framework, the network investigates the question ‘Whose right to the (Smart) City’? It addresses a gap in current knowledge exchange and seeks to redress the balance of focus from the existing highly urbanised, first-world contexts to concentrate on more marginalised urban communities and people-centred urban change in relation to ICTs.

The network will examine how and why cities and people are shaping technologies to suit their needs and the role of civic inclusiveness in this process, and will draw on knowledge and perspectives from marginalised city contexts at a range of geographical levels including UK, Brazil and India. It involves academics working at the boundary between the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, urban studies and ubiquitous computing and comprises partners from Plymouth University (UK), University College London (UK), Universidade Federale de Minais Gerais (Brazil) and Transparent Chennai (India). Network participants will be drawn from academics, city governance, NGO’s, community groups and industry in a multi-sector approach.