Smart urban governance: an alternative to technocratic “smartness”

Jiang, Huaxiong; Geertman, Stan; Witte, Patrick

doi:10.1007/s10708-020-10326-w

Cited by 50 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Although the present approach is generally intended to support local governments in heat risk management, the conceptual instrument of climate types and the methodology presented for their definition is expected to facilitate the interaction between spatial, institutional, and technological components in a broader vision of smart sociotechnical governance (Jiang et al, 2020). From a technological perspective this approach supports the analysis of local climate phenomena, as well as the communication of complex climate mechanisms through the use of visually and semantically explained types.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Quantitative Morphological Method for Mapping Local Climate Types

Maiullari

Esch

Timmeren

2021

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Morphological characteristics of cities significantly influence urban heat island intensities and thermal responses to heat waves. Form attributes such as density, compactness, and vegetation cover are commonly used to analyse the impact of urban morphology on overheating processes. However, the use of abstract large-scale classifications hinders a full understanding of the thermal trade-off between single buildings and their immediate surrounding microclimate. Without analytical tools able to capture the complexity of cities with a high resolution, the microspatial dimension of urban climate phenomena cannot be properly addressed. Therefore, this study develops a new method for numerical identification of types, based on geometrical characteristics of buildings and climate-related form attributes of their surroundings in a 25m and 50m radius. The method, applied to the city of Rotterdam, combines quantitative descriptors of urban form, mapping GIS procedures, and clustering techniques. The resulting typo-morphological classification is assessed by modelling temperature, wind, and humidity during a hot summer period, in ENVI-met. Significant correlations are found between the morphotypes’ characteristics and local climate phenomena, highlighting the differences in performative potential between the classified urban patterns. The study suggests that the method can be used to provide insight into the systemic relations between buildings, their context, and the risk of overheating in different urban settings. Finally, the study highlights the relevance of advanced mapping and modelling tools to inform spatial planning and mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of urban overheating.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Quantitative Morphological Method for Mapping Local Climate Types

Maiullari

Esch

Timmeren

2021

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“…The articles suggest that the introduction of technologies requires an urgent re-thinking of how decisions are made in urban regions. Consequently, the use of technologies offers and encourages an alternative understanding of governance; smart urban governance has become a crucial concept and an important alternative method to the current technocratic (top-down) governance of urban areas (Jiang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, the precise nature and scope of smart urban governance will depend on the needs and possibilities of the people in the different urban areas, as the articles in this thematic issue show. Smart urban governance includes a wide range of options and ideas, such as using different technologies like IoTs and AI, new administrative practices based on e-government, or new communication and collaboration tools with citizens (Jiang et al, 2020;Ruhlandt, 2018;Webster & Leleux, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hitherto, however, smart planning approaches have been mostly understood from a predominantly technocratic perspective (see, e.g., Hollands, 2008). In contrast, we advocate a more transformative and sociotechnical orientation, where the focus is on developing an interconnected and complex understanding of planning, which requires the use of technologies in planning processes to reach effective and efficient decisions (Jiang et al, 2020). We refer to this orientation as 'smart urban governance.'…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Smart Urban Governance for Climate Change Adaptation

Thaler

Witte²,

Hartmann³

et al. 2021

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Climate change will affect the way cities work substantially. Flooding and urban heating are among the most tangible consequences in cities around the globe. Extreme hydro-meteorological events will likely increase in the future due to climate change. Making cities climate-resilient is therefore an urgent challenge to sustain urban living. To adapt cities to the consequences of climate change, new ideas and concepts need to be adopted. This oftentimes requires action from different stakeholder groups and citizens. In other words, climate adaptation of cities needs governance. Facilitating such urban governance for climate adaptation is thus a big and increasing challenge of urban planning. Smart tools and its embedding in smart urban governance is promising to help in this respect. To what extent can the use of digital knowledge technologies in a collaborative planning setting be instrumental in facilitating climate adaptation? This question entails visualising effects of climate adaptation interventions and facilitating dialogue between governments, businesses such as engineering companies, and citizens. The aim of this thematic issue is to explore how the application of technologies in urban planning, embedded in smart urban governance, can contribute to provide climate change adaptation. We understand smart urban governance in this context both in terms of disclosing technical expert information to the wider public, and in terms of supporting with the help of technologies the wider governance debates between the stakeholders involved. The contributions reflect this dual focus on socio-technical innovations and planning support, and therefore include various dimensions, from modelling and interacting to new modes of urban governance and political dimensions of using technologies in climate change adaptation in urban areas.

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“…Smart technologies in flood risk management include two directions: (1) the innovation of new technologies in terms of PLFRA measures (White et al, 2018) and (2) information and communications technology (ICT), such as the use of artificial intelligence or new forms of communication (Attems, Thaler, Snel, et al, 2020;Kratzert et al, 2019). The advantages of using smart technologies in flood risk management are the ability to use the latest ICT innovation to reach a wide range of different people with a standardised approach (Jiang et al, 2020a(Jiang et al, , 2020b. The literature addresses the advantages of smart technologies in terms of including multiple actors at multiple political levels as well as the ability to interact within these smart technologies (Kummitha & Crutzen, 2017;Neirotti et al, 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Flood-Resilient Communities: How We Can Encourage Adaptive Behaviour Through Smart Tools in Public–Private Interaction

Davids

Thaler

2021

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To achieve a more flood-resilient society, it is essential to involve citizens. Therefore, new instruments, such as tailor-made advice for homeowners, are being developed to inform homeowners about adaptive strategies in building to motivate them to implement these measures. This article evaluates if public–private interactions, such as tailored advice, change risk behaviour and therefore increase flood resilience among homeowners. The article conducted semi-structured interviews with homeowners who had received advice as well as involved experts in two case study regions in Europe: Flanders in Belgium and Vorarlberg in Austria. The results show how the tailored advice helps homeowners who are already aware of flood risks and provides them with answers on how to adapt a house. However, the tool seems to lack the ability to inform and “recruit” new groups of homeowners who are not as familiar with flood risks. As such, this article concludes that this initiative has a relatively low impact in raising flood risk awareness among homeowners but may be more successful in serving as a tool that suggests tailored property-level flood risk adaptation measures for those who are already aware. Alternatively, more automated tailored information systems might be more efficient for unaware homeowners.

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Smart urban governance: an alternative to technocratic “smartness”

Cited by 50 publications

References 63 publications

A Quantitative Morphological Method for Mapping Local Climate Types

A Quantitative Morphological Method for Mapping Local Climate Types

Smart Urban Governance for Climate Change Adaptation

Flood-Resilient Communities: How We Can Encourage Adaptive Behaviour Through Smart Tools in Public–Private Interaction

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