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.

CHEPECLETAS: UN COLECTIVO A FAVOR DE LA MOVILIDAD URBANA SOSTENIBLE

En Costa Rica se encuentra el colectivo ChepeCletas que ha encauzado sus esfuerzos en mejorar la calidad del ambiente, a través del uso de bicicletas y las caminatas, así como la recuperación de espacios para la intervención pública, con el fn de convertir a la capital en un espacio para todas las personas. Por tanto, este artículo realizó un análisis dentro del colectivo, basado en los marcos de referencia de diagnóstico, pronóstico y motivo, dando como resultado mayor conciencia del impacto ambiental que genera el uso excesivo de vehículos privados, la construcción de un grupo que se siente como familia, incrementando el empoderamiento ciudadano para el cambio social, así como el interés por la ciudad y la necesidad de retomar los espacios que siempre fueron públicos; pero habían sido olvidados. Utilizar los marcos de referencia permite comprender, desde la visión de los integrantes, qué es, qué permite y qué se hace en dicho colectivo. Sumado a esto, se debe recalcar que este artículo aporta nuevos conocimientos respecto del tema, visualiza otra forma de hacer política desde abajo y crea espacios que integran cada día a más personas. Palabras clave: Movilidad, acciones colectivas, ambiente, política. AbstractIn Costa Rica, where the ChepeCletas collective is to be found, eforts have been channeled to improve the quality of the environment by using bicycles and walking, as well as the recovery of spaces bound for public intervention to turn the capital into a space for all people. Therefore, this article conducts an analysis within the group based on the diagnostic, prognostic and motive reference frameworks which result in a greater awareness of the environmental impact than the excessive use of private vehicles generates. Additionally, the onstruction of a group that feels like family increasing citizen empowerment for social change, as well as interest in the city and the need to retake spaces that were always public but had been forgotten. The use of reference frames allows us to understand, from the point of view of the members, it’s nature, what allows it to be and what is done in said group. In addition to this, it should be emphasized that this article provides new knowledge on the subject, visualizes another way of doing politics from below and creates spaces that integrate more people every day. Keywords: Mobility, collective actions, environment, politics

Demanding Power: Do Protests Empower Citizens to Hold Governments Accountable over Energy?

Energy protests are becoming increasingly common and significant around the world. While in the global North concerns tend to centre around climate issues, in the global South the concerns are more often with affordable energy. Both types of protests, however, have one issue in common: the undemocratic nature of energy policymaking. This paper draws together findings from research conducted in three countries, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan to ask how and under which conditions do struggles over energy access in fragile and conflict affected settings empower the powerless to hold public authorities to account? In exploring this theme, the study examines what factors support protests developing into significant episodes of contention within fragile settings, and whether these energy struggles promote citizen empowerment and institutional accountability.

Where It All Began

Latin America is PB’s birthplace and the region where it was first widely adopted. PB currently exists in almost every country of this region of the world. This chapter documents PB development in Brazil, its spread from Brazil to other countries as well as PB’s transformation since the 1990s, when it changed from a social justice program to a policy tool that promotes citizen empowerment and community mobilization. Latin America also led the way with the first mandated programs, as Peru’s national government was the first country in the world to require that all subnational governments adopt PB. Latin American PB programs are among the most studied in the world, which means that solid research findings identify when and where PB produces significant social and political change. Most importantly, there are many comparative, longitudinal, and large-N studies from Brazil that demonstrate that PB is generating positive change. But, research on other countries, such as Peru and Mexico, suggest that PB’s impact is much weaker in those countries. The chapter provides a summary of the rich body of evidence that has emerged since 1989, and describes PB in Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, and Mexico.