Digitalisation for smarter cities: moving from a static to a dynamic view

This paper presents a critical review of the literature on smart cities informed by a sociotechnical perspective that views ‘smart city development’ as a dynamic change process that extends to both the technological apparatus of the city and the social environment that produces, maintains and uses it. The conclusions from the review are summarised in six propositions. The propositions contest the mainstream discourse that often culminates in a utopian vision where data collection, processing, analysis and sharing provide solutions to all urban problems and provide direction for the future advancement of smart city research and practice. Using the propositions as guidelines to underpin a multidisciplinary approach, the paper sets out a relational perspective based on notions of boundary spanning, coordination and management that can shed light on previously overlooked aspects of smart city transitions. This work was supported by the Ove Arup Foundation and the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction – CSIC [grant reference: RG89525], Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom