The rise of the online economy is based on the opportunities to extract value from data that is produced by digital technologies. As opposed to data brokers that gain value buying and selling personal information, this report argues for radically new ideas about how the value of our personal information can be returned back to citizens. Rather than focusing on how making money from data, it focuses on how data can benefit society as a whole, exploring the idea of ‘data commons’. The report is entitled “Common Knowledge: Citizen-led data governance for better cities” and is part of the decode H2020 project.
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Cities
What can be said about Covid-19 that hasn’ t been said already? Rather than simply talking and writing about the pandemic, Gehl staff wants to share the lived experience of it. With the support of Realdania and the City of Copenhagen, they worked with 60 surveyors in 4 cities in Denmark to observe and understand how streets and public spaces, parks and playgrounds are serving the very unique needs of the communities during this pandemic. The first results are listed in this report, both in terms of snapshots of public life during the “lock-down’ as well as highlights of the collected data. Continue reading
This book by Dariusz Jemielniak and Aleksandra Przegalinska examines how networked technology enables the emergence of a new kind of social collaboration in modern societies. It covers the sector of “sharing economy” as well as different models of peer production and collaborative media production and consumption, while also considering hactivism, social movements and citizen science. The authors consider as well existing challenges for the future of collaboration in times of fake news, bots and other challenges.
This paper “Smart systems of innovation for smart places: Challenges in deploying digital platforms for co-creation and data-intelligence” by Anastasia Panori, Christina Kakderi, Nicos Komninos, Katharina Fellnhofer, Alasdair Reid and Luca Mora, argues that the rise and interconnection of various types of intelligence (artificial, human, collective) could transform the way smart places are being created and evolve. Through the case study of the research project OnlineS3, the paper indicates that digital platforms can better respond to the complexity of innovation systems providing dynamic and scale-diverse information.
Examining the changing nature of cities in the face of smart technology, this book studies key new challenges and capabilities defined by the Internet of Things, data science, blockchain and artificial intelligence. It argues that using algorithmic logic alone for automation and optimisation in modern smart cities is not sufficient, and analyses the importance of integrating this with strong participatory governance and digital platforms for community action. The book was edited by Nicos Komninos, Director, URENIO Research and Christina Kakderi, Department of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Continue reading
This report “The Human-Centred City: Opportunities for citizens through research and innovation” provides a very comprehensive and detailed analysis on a policy research and innovation framework that broadens the perspective towards more holistic approaches. It aims to trigger discussions among policy makers, EU institutions, the scientific community and society at large, and inspire strategic planning and investments within Horizon Europe and its dedicated Mission on ‘˜Climate-neutral and Smart Cities. Continue reading
This article explores whether smart city policy and sustainability outcomes are intertwined, through a systematic literature review. The review highlights limitations of smart cities to achieve sustainability and reveals that cities cannot be truly smart without being sustainable first. Overall, authors advocate the sustainable and knowledge-based development of smart cities and emphasize on the need for a post-anthropocentric urban turnaround for sustainability.