One size does not fit all: Framing smart city policy narratives within regional socio-economic contexts in Brussels and Wallonia

Abstract

Smart city initiatives are increasingly dominating urban policy scripts worldwide, and their diffusion is centered upon different regional strategies. Adopting the Narrative Policy Framework as methodological basis, this article examines the smart city strategies developed by the Wallonia and Brussels-capital regions during the 2014-2019 period. Moving away from corporate-led deterministic models of smart city development, it shows that there is no onesize-fit-all approach to smart urbanism. Regional governments attribute different meanings to urban innovation and formulate place-based strategies of smart city development in relation to their socio-economic contexts, seeking to advance technological solutions to what they perceive as the most pressing problems of their territories and populaces.

The role of participation in the development of the smart city idea: frameworks, opportunities, mechanisms

“…The smart city idea is multicontextual and multifaceted and is being implemented in various cities around the world; it is used both during the construction of new cities and the regeneration and revitalization of the existing ones (Szymańska characterised by a certain degree of uncertainty resulting from infrastructural deficiencies, limited resources, including financial ones, and inefficient governance processes (Sarzynski, 2015;Kowalska-Jonek & Wolniak, 2021). As evidenced by previous research (Wathne & Haarstad, 2020;Esposito et al, 2021), the stage of development and the level of engagement depend to a large extent on local circumstances and the socio-economic context in which cities operate. The smartest cities in the world are those with the best financial standing, which definitely does not guarantee equal development opportunities for all urbanised areas, nor does it positively influence the spread of sustainable development (Kowalska-Jonek & Wolniak, 2021, Esposito et al, 2021.…”

“…As evidenced by previous research (Wathne & Haarstad, 2020;Esposito et al, 2021), the stage of development and the level of engagement depend to a large extent on local circumstances and the socio-economic context in which cities operate. The smartest cities in the world are those with the best financial standing, which definitely does not guarantee equal development opportunities for all urbanised areas, nor does it positively influence the spread of sustainable development (Kowalska-Jonek & Wolniak, 2021, Esposito et al, 2021. Therefore, it is not surprising that the availability of funding, but also innovation and new infrastructure investments are seen as a panacea for contemporary urban problems and smart growth.…”

“…The next stage-implementation-is not as promising as the smart path taken might suggest (Sikora-Fernandez, 2018). The ability of cities to adapt to climate change, i.e., their resilience is invariably local communities in urban governance, which is a vivid manifestation of the implementation of place-based policy currently gaining prominence in EU policy (Churski 2018;Arsova et al, 2021;Esposito et al, 2021). This is because residents are able to identify the current problems and needs of their immediate environment and, most importantly, propose appropriate directions for change.…”

Smaller is smarter: A case for small to medium-sized smart cities

“…We understand that the issues being raised are very difficult to address, and we by no means claim to offer the final and complete solutions. Nevertheless, the following paragraphs provide the justification why research in SMCs is important, and argue that several of the concepts that are being criticised, like "one size fits all" or the lack of concreteness of the solutions provided, can naturally be addressed easier within that scope [15].…”

Making the Gold Coast a Smart City—An Analysis

“…This trend illustrates that a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for implementing smart city initiatives due to each city's unique characteristics, context, and issues [24]. A one-size-fits-all narrative, which does not adequately consider socioeconomic, spatial, and political variables in the local context, has been identified as one of the significant shortcomings in the current smart city debates [44][45][46]. As regional cities may not possess the sufficient financial resources required for smart city initiatives, there is a need to better align smart city strategies with existing government policy and priorities to improve their funding capabilities [47,48].…”