scholarly journals The Right to Have Digital Rights in Smart Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11438
Author(s):  
Igor Calzada

New data-driven technologies in global cities have yielded potential but also have intensified techno-political concerns. Consequently, in recent years, several declarations/manifestos have emerged across the world claiming to protect citizens’ digital rights. In 2018, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and NYC city councils formed the Cities’ Coalition for Digital Rights (CCDR), an international alliance of global People-Centered Smart Cities—currently encompassing 49 cities worldwide—to promote citizens’ digital rights on a global scale. People-centered smart cities programme is the strategic flagship programme by UN-Habitat that explicitly advocates the CCDR as an institutionally innovative and strategic city-network to attain policy experimentation and sustainable urban development. Against this backdrop and being inspired by the popular quote by Hannah Arendt on “the right to have rights”, this article aims to explore what “digital rights” may currently mean within a sample consisting of 13 CCDR global people-centered smart cities: Barcelona, Amsterdam, NYC, Long Beach, Toronto, Porto, London, Vienna, Milan, Los Angeles, Portland, San Antonio, and Glasgow. Particularly, this article examines the (i) understanding and the (ii) prioritisation of digital rights in 13 cities through a semi-structured questionnaire by gathering 13 CCDR city representatives/strategists’ responses. These preliminary findings reveal not only distinct strategies but also common policy patterns.

Urban Studies ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1861-1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Derudder ◽  
Peter Taylor ◽  
Pengfei Ni ◽  
Anneleen De Vos ◽  
Michael Hoyler ◽  
...  

This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets changes in intercity relations at the global scale in the period 2000—08. It draws on the network model devised by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) research group to measure global connectivities for 132 cities across the world in 2000 and 2008. The measurements for both years are adjusted so that a coherent set of services/cities is used. A range of statistical techniques is used to explore these changes at the city level and the regional scale. The most notable changes are: the general rise of connectivity in the world city network; the loss of global connectivity of US and sub-Saharan African cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami in particular); and, the gain in global connectivity of south Asian, Chinese and eastern European cities (Shanghai, Beijing and Moscow in particular).


Author(s):  
Farshid Aram ◽  
Ebrahim Solgi ◽  
Ester Higueras Garcia ◽  
Danial Mohammadzadeh S. ◽  
Amir Mosavi ◽  
...  

Considering citizens' perceptions of their living environment is very helpful in making the right decisions for city planners who intend to build a sustainable society. Mental map analyses are widely used in understanding the level of perception of individuals regarding the surrounding environment. The present study introduces Aram Mental Map Analyzer (AMMA), an open-source program, which allows researchers to use special features and new analytical methods to receive outputs in numerical data and analytical maps with greater accuracy and speed. AMMA performance is contingent upon two principles of accuracy and complexity, the accuracy of the program is measured by Accuracy Placed Landmarks (APL) and General Orientation (GO), which respectively analyses the landmark placement accuracy and the main route mapping accuracy. Also, the complexity section is examined through two analyses Cell Percentage (CP) and General Structure (GS), which calculates the complexity of citizens’ perception of space based on the criteria derived from previous studies. AMMA examines all the dimensions and features of the graphic maps, and its outputs have a wide range of valid and differentiated information, which is tailored to the research and information subject matter that is required.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-147
Author(s):  
A. N. Vashchekin ◽  
◽  
A. V. Dzedzinsky ◽  

Introduction. The era of digitalization sets for researchers the task of systematizing the essential features of digital space, identifying the essence of the “right to the Internet” and the legitimacy of limiting the digital rights of citizens. Theoretical Basis. Methods. The authors studied the peculiarities of the digital environment as a specific integral area of legal regulation, the doctrine and legislation of several countries on the topic which determines the basis for the regulation of digital space in Russia. The formal legal method, synthesis, analysis, induction and deduction were used as research methods. Results. The wording of the basic concepts in the area under study is proposed: digital space, digital region, digital platform, etc. The measures to eliminate “digital wells” are indicated. The main properties of the information space and its derivatives are considered. The effects of any contradictions in the legislation of the country are shown. Discussion and Conclusion. As the study showed, the latest innovations in the legislation contravene the principle of the balance of interests, fail to meet the requirements of observing the rights of a person and citizen, and contradict the Constitution and international treaties of Russia. When comparing these measures with their foreign counterparts, a search was made for their potential shortcomings and proposals were presented on possible directions for their correction, taking into account the particular characteristics of digital space.


Author(s):  
Natalia Verlos

The article covers the topical problem of constitutionalization of digital human rights in the conditions of digital transformation.The study analyzes doctrinal approaches to the definition of digital human rights as a legal category, the monitoring of the positive internationalexperience of constitutionalization of digital rights, which can be borrowed in the process of the constitutional reform inUkraine.In the study, based on the analysis of normative experience of foreign countries, the author proposes to identify two ways ofdomestic regulation of digital rights: first, it is the constitutionalization of digital rights, with changing the text of the constitution toregulate digital rights at the highest constitutional level, and second, it is the digitization of constitutional rights, when the rightsenshrined in the constitution become updated on the basis of constitutional decisions, the case-law of the European Court of HumanRights or in the relevant legislation.It is proposed to distinguish “digital rights”, including the right to access to electronic devices and telecommunications networks(Internet), the right to protection of personal data, the right to information self-identification, the right to anonymity, the right to be forgotten,the right to free transfer and dissemination of information, etc. However, it should be taken into consideration that in the processof reforming and carrying out constitutional and legal modernization, it is necessary to take into account the possibility and necessityof the realization of fundamental human rights, which are already defined in the Constitution of Ukraine, but are being implemented inthe conditions of digitalization.It is emphasized that in the process of development of the constitutional law of Ukraine the potential of digital transformation isnot realized in full today, and perspective tendencies have such priorities as the development of network forms of interaction, communicativetechnologies of control and planning, formation of qualitatively updated model of digital rights development. Also, in order toincrease the effectiveness of the implementation of digital rights, it is necessary to use the legal reception from countries where constitutionaland legal modernization has already taken place taking into account the digital transformation and has a positive experience ofregulation, including at the highest constitutional level. It should be borne in mind that in addition to ensuring and implementing digitalhuman rights, it is necessary to develop a concept of digital duties and responsibilities for the violation of these rights in order to preventnegative risks and abuse.


1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandan K. Saikia ◽  
Douglas S. Dreger ◽  
Donald V. Helmberger

Abstract We have investigated energy amplification observed within Greater Los Angeles basin by analyzing regional waveforms recorded from several Nevada Test Site (NTS) nuclear explosions. Although the stations are located nearly at the same azimuth (distances ranging from 350 to 400 km), the seismograms recorded in Compton (the central part of the basin), Long Beach (the southern edge of the basin), and downtown Los Angeles are remarkably different, even for a common explosion. Following the onset of Lg waves, the Long Beach sites have recorded surface waves for more than 100 sec. From one explosion, the sites within downtown Los Angeles have recorded seismograms with strong 3-sec surface waves. These waves are not observed on the seismograms recorded in the neighboring hard-rock site California Institute of Technology (CIT) station. Thus, they must have been generated by local wave guides. Numerically, we modeled these 3-sec waves by convolving the CIT seismogram with the response of a sedimentary strata dipping gently (about 6°) from CIT toward downtown. We also examined the irregular basin effect by analyzing the variation of cumulative temporal energy across the basin relative to the energy recorded at CIT from the same explosion. Variation up to a factor of 30 was observed. To model the energy variation that is caused by extended surface waves in the Long Beach area, we used numerically simulated site transfer functions (STF) from a NNE-SSW oriented two-dimensional basin structure extending from Montebello to Palos Verdes that included low-velocity sedimentary material in the uppermost layers. These STFs were convolved with the CIT seismogram recorded from the MAST explosion. To simulate elongated duration of surface waves, we introduced in the upper sedimentary structure some discontinuous microbasin structures of varying size, each microbasin delaying the seismic waves propagating through them. Consequently, the surface-reflected phases through these structures are delayed and reflected into the upper medium by the underlying interfaces. This mechanism helps delayed energy to appear at a later time and result in a longer time duration at sites located at southern edge of the basin.


1928 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 698-705
Author(s):  
James K. Pollock

The elections which were held throughout Germany on May 20, 1928, are of considerable interest and importance not only to Germany but also to the rest of the world. These elections, to be sure, did not have the dramatic interest which attended the Reichstag elections of December, 1924. But they deserve attention for a number of reasons: first, because they are the first elections to be held in the Reich under what may be called normal conditions; second, because elections for five Landtags and several city councils were held at the same time; and third, because the elections gave a further test, and supplied additional evidence of the operation, of the German system of proportional representation.Despite the intensive work of the political parties, the people were not aroused to much enthusiasm during the campaign. The old Reichstag was dissolved before Easter, but not until the last week of the campaign could one detect any excitement. Never before had the electors been bombarded with so much printed matter, posters, and, last but not least, loud-speakers and films. All the modern methods of appealing to the voters were tried by the numerous political parties. There were lacking, however, the overpowering issues and the battlecries which were so effective in 1924. Parades, demonstrations, meetings, and all the rest were carried through successfully on the whole, but they were quite dull and uninteresting. Only the two extreme parties, the National Socialists or Hitlerites on the right, and the Communists on the left, could appear enthusiastic. Nevertheless, the lack of what the Germans call a “grosse Parole” and the lack of excitement are not to be deplored; their absence probably indicates progress toward social and political consolidation.


2019 ◽  
pp. 168-194
Author(s):  
Jan Lin

Examines the impacts of the sharpening gentrification process in Northeast Los Angeles and its socioeconomic and racial overtones as immigrant working class Latino/a families are increasingly threatened by displacement through rent increases, evictions, and socially traumatic uprooting of multi-family networks. Gentrification is tied to neoliberal local state efforts in Los Angeles to incentivize private investment through urban policy strategies like transit-oriented development, transit villages and small lot housing development. I argue the creative frontier of urban restructuring in Northeast LA also generates social violence expressing capitalism’s tendency to foster “accumulation by dispossession” that has been countered by neighborhood “right to the city” movements. I examine the rise of the urban social movements like Friends of Highland Park and Northeast LA Alliance that advocate for the rights of those threatened by housing displacement and eviction, address community and environmental impacts of new high-density housing projects, and campaign for more socially just housing and urban planning policies in Los Angeles. There is also examination of the plight of the homeless and rehabilitating gang members


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