ABSTRACT
Smart urbanisation is neither universal, apolitical nor straightforward. Many advocates of smart urbanisation suggest that the fully connected and digitalised future is just around the corner. Negotiations over technological choices, financial models, the role of technical experts and related issues resonate with today's smart cities debates. Contemporary smart city interventions continue to be patchy, and it remains to be seen how and when they will be implemented across an entire city or region. Local governments, civil society groups and local businesses are increasingly active in shaping smart city agendas, suggesting a more pluralistic development of digital urban futures. Sharing economies, maker spaces, Transition Towns and grassroots innovation can all serve as inspirations for new ways to interpret smart technologies. There is a need for sceptics and critics to take an active role in not simply revealing the dangers and risks and downsides of digitalising the built environment, but also in constructing alternatives.
