ABSTRACT
This chapter sketches the theoretical framing for analyzing the dynamics of community innovation and the methods used. The empirical analysis is informed by two types of conceptual lenses focusing on user-technology relations: first, the material-semiotic lens, and second, the lens of distribution of work. The chapter elaborates on the qualitative case study of Wireless Leiden. It describes the types of work underlying the rise and growth of Wireless Leiden. It then elucidates some underlying mechanisms that consider as characteristic for understanding the dynamics of community innovations and presents a new vocabulary to capture these innovation dynamics. The innovativeness of users and user communities is well documented in the impressive user-oriented branch of innovation studies initiated by Eric von Hippel in the mid-1970s. The domain of technology studies has highlighted the importance of user agency in understanding the processes of shaping technology. Although the re-engineering of Wi-Fi devices involved quite alignment work was needed for creating a citywide infrastructure.
