Humane by choice, smart by default: 39 building blocks for cities of the future

Abstract

For nearly three decades, becoming smart has been claimed to be a solution to urban problems. This claim is justified, but not unconditionally. This article aims to contribute to the development of a human-centric smart city agenda, which in effect means the application of social and ecological principles, in conjunction with appropriate technology. In order to achieve this goal, smart city literature has been critically assessed for its contribution to the agenda. Five narratives that represent different ways of framing the role of (digital) technologies in solving urban problems have been summarised and commented on. It was concluded that the use of (digital) technology should be preceded by examining the complexity of social and ecological problems of contemporary cities. This vision resulted in a re-conceptualisation of the smart city concept into a city that aligns the use of technology with its human-centric agenda. Kate Raworth' concept of a doughnut economy has proven useful in designing such an agenda. This concept is based on the simultaneous application of principles related to social and environmental sustainability, resulting in an agenda of 39 ‘city actions’ for cities that intent to be humane by choice and smart by default.