Citizens in the Smart City

While the role of citizens in smart cities is hotly debated, there is a dearth of empirical research on the subject. This in-depth study of a European city, selected for its typical smart city ambitions, explores the roles that citizens actually play in smart city projects. The study examines twelve initiatives in the City of Utrecht (NL) using a framework that differentiates between types of citizen participation. The findings show that technology-enabled citizen participation in Utrecht is highly diverse and embraces all types of participation rather than simply taking the form of either “citizen empowerment” (as the advocates argue) or “citizen subjugation' (as the critics stress). The diversity found in the study highlights the need to conceptualize the role of the smart citizen at the micro (project) level rather than at the level of the city as a whole. The study shows that citizen participation in the smart city should not be understood as a technological utopia or dystopia but as an evolving, technologically mediated practice that is shaped by a variety of factors.

Madryckie place w relacjach wybranych polskich podróżników w XIX i na początku XX wieku

This article presents the perception of Madrid squares as viewed by Polish travellers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The squares functioned for centuries as key areas of a city, both for the residents and visitors. In Spain, they were also an important element of culture and urban planning. Plaza Mayor – a unique European city square – was established in that country. Therefore, it may be assumed that the squares, playing a leading role in the analysed urban space, are one of the main tourist destinations. The aim of the article was to analyse the accounts of Polish travellers who came to Madrid in the 19th century and attempt to answer the following questions: what role the squares played during the time of those travels, which square made the greatest impression on the writers and why. The author also wanted to gain a better understanding of the aesthetic sensitivity and architectural and urban awareness of the Polish travellers. The analysis was carried out on the basis of source texts and historical studies. The presented image of public spaces was juxtaposed with iconographic and cartographic sources. The article shows that the Polish travellers staying in Madrid in the 19th and early 20th centuries limited their urban strolls to only a few squares, and the most important ones were approached with critical assessment.

Kłopotliwe dziedzictwo Predappio.

Contested Heritage of Predappio. Conflicting Memories and Construction of the European City Narrative This paper is devoted to the problem of Predappio as a place of contested memory. Benito Mussolini’s hometown is presented in literature as a symbolic site of the divided memory of the fascist regime. In what follows, I will examine the process of shaping the image of Predappio from the fascist period to the present day, as well as strategies implemented by local authorities to overcome the legacy of this difficult heritage and build a positive narrative of the city.

Lobbying of cities in the European Union

Most European Union policies directly affect cities, but their role in formulating these policies is insufficient. Therefore, cities are undertaking para-diplomacy and lobbying at the EU level independently of national governments. They use the opportunities offered by the EU, namely multilevel governance system and the European Commission’s policy of openness and deliberation. The article presents an analysis of the patterns and strategies of representation of cities’ interests at the EU level, their adaptation to the requirements of the EU interests intermediation system, as well as the motivations for undertaking lobbying. It is argued that cities follow two main channels of interests representation: permanent representations with direct lobbying in Brussels and activity in European city networks. Two types of motivations behind lobbying can be distinguished: regulatory mobilization and financial mobilization. Their relations with EU institutions are subject to advanced institutionalization.

APPROACH AND KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

The aim of the AVENUE21. Connected and Automated Driving: Prospects for Urban Europe research project is to examine the near-term impacts CAT will have on the European city and to analyse the potentials – both positive and negative – of this new technology. By shifting the perspective away from the technological possibilities and their likely applications and towards the possible effects on planning policy, the impacts in terms of urban development and urban societies, we are able to focus our attention on an area that has until now largely been given little, or, in many cases, only selective, consideration.