The Smart Enough City : Putting Technology in Its Place to Reclaim Our Urban Future

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Reclaiming the Urban Future: Smart, Just, Inclusive.

The Smart Enough City is a must-read for anyone concerned about the impact of technology on our cities. Ben Green skillfully shows that a purely technological approach to city planning can lead to more inequality and injustice, while a "smart enough" approach that prioritizes equity and democracy can lead to a more just, inclusive, and livable city. With vivid examples from around the world, Green argues for a new vision of smart cities that puts people first and technology second.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

The Smart Enough City : Putting Technology in Its Place to Reclaim Our Urban Future

Regular price $30.16
Unit price
per
ISBN: 9780262039673
Estimated First-hand Retail Price: $42.73
Publisher: Mit Pr
Date of Publication: 2019-01-01
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: Politics, Economics, Science
Goodreads rating: 4.15
(rated by 189 readers)

Description

Why technology is not an end in itself, and how cities can be “smart enough,” using technology to promote democracy and equity. Smart cities, where technology is used to solve every problem, are hailed as futuristic urban utopias. We are promised that apps, algorithms, and artificial intelligence will relieve congestion, restore democracy, prevent crime, and improve public services. In The Smart Enough City , Ben Green warns against seeing the city only through the lens of technology; taking an exclusively technical view of urban life will lead to cities that appear smart but under the surface are rife with injustice and inequality. He proposes instead that cities strive to be “smart enough”: to embrace technology as a powerful tool when used in conjunction with other forms of social change—but not to value technology as an end in itself. In a technology-centric smart city, self-driving cars have the run of downtown and force out pedestrians, civic engagement is limited to requesting services through an app, police use algorithms to justify and perpetuate racist practices, and governments and private companies surveil public space to control behavior. Green describes smart city efforts gone wrong but also smart enough alternatives, attainable with the help of technology but not reducible to a livable city, a democratic city, a just city, a responsible city, and an innovative city. By recognizing the complexity of urban life rather than merely seeing the city as something to optimize, these Smart Enough Cities successfully incorporate technology into a holistic vision of justice and equity.
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Reclaiming the Urban Future: Smart, Just, Inclusive.

The Smart Enough City is a must-read for anyone concerned about the impact of technology on our cities. Ben Green skillfully shows that a purely technological approach to city planning can lead to more inequality and injustice, while a "smart enough" approach that prioritizes equity and democracy can lead to a more just, inclusive, and livable city. With vivid examples from around the world, Green argues for a new vision of smart cities that puts people first and technology second.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.