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Assessing smart city projects and their implications for public policy in the Global South

Yes / This article aims to assess critically different definitions and indicators of smart cities.
Drawing on exemplary case studies, the author proposes a typology of four categories of
smart cities: type A are the world leaders who pioneer ideas not predicated on smart city
projects; type B are aspirational cities punching above their weight; type C are surprise
transformers that use the smart city concept to propel real transformation; and type D are
cases where smart city projects do not directly address the main urban problems. The
discussion highlights the need to prevent ‘smart-wash’ by avoiding superficial technological
solutions that chase symptoms but not causes of some of the complex urban challenges that
they are intending to address. In conclusion, the author considers the public policy
implications of applying these typologies to cities in general with particular reference to the
Global South / British Academy: [grant number IPM 15008]

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/17542
Date13 November 2019
CreatorsAnand, Prathivadi B.
Source SetsBradford Scholars
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeArticle, Accepted manuscript
Rights© 2020 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Contemporary Social Science: Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences on 29 Jan 2020 available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2020.1720794.

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