Smart city governance in Mexico: reflections from a case study

Abstract

Urban centres around the world are currently experiencing an unforeseen set of challenges. These are derived from an increasing demand for basic services, which include a more efficient management of financial and technical resources. In this sense, an area that is currently looking for new strategies to solve this problem is Latin America, being Mexico City one of the most important cases. The Mexican capital is one of the most populated cities in the world, currently holding large levels of cultural, economic and social disparities. To solve this, urban planners, computer developers and social experts have developed a solution known as "smart cities". This concept operates through the combination of intelligent technology, urban planning and citizen collaboration. Nonetheless, this requires a new model of governance that allows the interaction among the parties to be not only efficient but secure and law compliant. In the current paper, this scenario will be delivered from the perspective of the on going Mexico City project, its smart city model, its society and the suitability of its legal framework and the capacity of its citizens to properly adopt it.