Ambient Urbanities and Beyond

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of the research literature for works that are pushing the boundaries of smart cities in providing a glimpse of perspectives going forward. This chapter focuses on ambient explorations, microgrids and smartgrids, wise cities, and the quantum concept in shedding light on the evolving nature of the people-technologies-cities dynamic for more adaptive urban environments, characteristic of smart and responsive cities. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. An analysis is provided of issues, controversies, and problems along with a discussion of the solutions and recommendations offered. Perspectives emerge for looking beyond and into the future of ambient urbanities in identifying potential directions for practitioners and researchers. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for smart cities and future cities and 2) perspectives beyond ambient urbanities that encompass parallel and complementary potentials for smarter urbanities.

Measuring Ambient Urbanities

The purpose of this chapter is to explore mechanisms and potentials for measuring ambient urbanities. This work advances the ambient metrics concept as a way of shedding light on the evolving nature of measures, standards, and indices required by more dynamic, adaptive, and aware environments, characteristic of smart and responsive cities. In the form of ambient metrics, measures are sought that support more informed city experiences, increased engagement and participation, and improved quality of urban life. The research literature for smart city metrics, standards, and indices is explored in this chapter enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to the research literature for smart city metrics, standards, and indices; the evolving of urban theory for 21st century cities; and urban theory in formulating a conceptual framework for rethinking measures for smarter urbanities.

New Urban Layers and Spaces

This chapter explores infrastructures, experiences, and interactions in relation to emerging urban layers and spaces for engagement in the city. The purpose of this chapter is to shed light on the digital layers enabled by information and communication technologies, the internet of things, the internet of people, and other emerging technologies to complement and extend existing urban infrastructural layers. The research literature for infrastructures, experiences, and interactions is explored in this chapter in the context of smart cities, enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature across multiple domains, 2) the identification of challenges and opportunities for research and practice relating to emerging urban layers and spaces going forward, and 3) the extending of existing understandings of urbanity to incorporate digital layers and spaces enabling connected, contextual, and continuous engagement.

Sensing Cities and Getting Smarter

This chapter explores awareness in relation to sensing and smartness in the city enabled through aware people and aware technologies, including the internet of things (IoT), the internet of people (IoP), and the internet of experiences (IoE). The main aim of this chapter is to shed light on where intelligence resides in the city and what constitutes and contributes to sensing and making cities smarter in relation to evolving notions of urbanity. The research literature for awareness, sensing, sensors, the IoT, the IoP, and the IoE is explored in this chapter in the context of urbanity and smart cities, enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) research and practice across multiple domains including the IoT, the IoP, and IoE and 2) emerging thinking on human sensing and associated behaviors in smart cities.

Ambient Urbanities

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a synthesis in terms of the key elements emerging throughout this book related to the range of constructs and dimensions identified in Chapter 1 and explored chapter by chapter that contribute to and constitute ambient urbanities. The conceptual framework for ambient urbanities is revisited and revised to reflect additional elements, dimensions, and constructs that became salient during the study. The synthesis provides an overview of the fuller picture developed in each chapter, enabling a graphic depiction of the interrelated elements – constructs, ambient dimensions, aspects and components, and research and practice directions. Tabular views enable a comparative look at a range of elements in relation to dimensions and constructs, such as issues, controversies, and problems; dependent and independent variables; insights; ideas; lessons; and the value advanced. The modularity of the ambient urbanities framework is described for flexible and adaptive use going forward.

Sharing-Collaboration-Openness

The purpose of this chapter is to explore sharing, collaboration, and openness in relation to smart cities in response to the state of the privacy construct that is said to be in disarray. A rethinking and innovating of the privacy construct is advanced in this chapter in evolving the ambient privacy framework in support of sharing, collaboration, and openness as critical dimensions of smart cities. The research literature for sharing, collaboration, and openness is explored in this chapter in the context of smart and responsive cities, enabling the identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for urban sharing, collaboration, and openness in smart and responsive cities; 2) the innovating of privacy for 21st century cities; and 3) urban theory in formulating a conceptual framework for innovating privacy for smarter urbanities.

Visibilities and Invisibilities

The purpose of this chapter is to explore urban visibilities and invisibilities in terms of the physical and digital, giving rise to the need for new methodologies and theoretical spaces in understanding ambient urbanities. This chapter seeks to shed light on the importance of elements in urban environments informing theory and methodology for smart, responsive, and future cities. The research literature for urban theory, urban methodologies, and urban visibilities and invisibilities is explored in this chapter in the context of smart and responsive cities, enabling the identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to the research literature for urban theoretical spaces and methodologies for smart and responsive cities, the evolving of urban theory and methods for 21st century cities and urbanities, and formulation of a conceptual framework for ambient methodologies and theoretical spaces.

Smart Information Architectures

The purpose of this chapter is to explore smartness in cities in relation to smart information architectures, with an approach that takes people into consideration, in understanding big and small data. This work seeks to shed light on the importance of data in urban environments and the purposeful leveraging of real-time analytics for interactions in the city in support of smarter governance. The research literature for information architectures, smart governance, and ambient data is explored in this chapter in the context of smart and responsive cities, enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to the research literature for ambient data, smart information architectures, and smarter governance; the evolving of urban theory for 21st century cities; and smart city urbanities through formulation of a framework for smart information architectures as an adaptive data management framework.

Urbanities and Smart Cities

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an introduction to the urbanity concept from a variety of perspectives and in the context of smart cities. A key element characterizing smart cities is the introduction of information and communication technologies and other pervasive and aware technologies providing a space for the exploration of new understandings of urbanity. Aware technologies in combination with aware people enable formulation of an ambient urbanities framework. The chapters that follow provide an exploration of the challenges and opportunities for elements of the ambient urbanities framework, with Chapter 2 focusing on sensing; Chapter 3 on infrastructures; Chapter 4 on culture, economies, and everything as ambient; Chapter 5 on digital literacies; Chapter 6 on smart information architectures; Chapter 7 on the need for new methodologies and theoretical spaces; Chapter 8 on innovating privacy; Chapter 9 on measuring ambient urbanities; Chapter 10, a synthesis; and Chapter 11 on ambient urbanities and beyond.

Emergent Digital Literacies

The purpose of this chapter is to explore digital literacies in the context of smart cities in relation to aware people and aware technologies. This work aims to shed light on the ambient concept for learning, play, and inclusion contributing to emergent requirements for urban digital literacies. The research literature for digital literacies, ambient learning, ambient play, and ambient inclusion is explored in this chapter in the context of smart cities, enabling identification of issues, controversies, and problems. Using an exploratory case study approach, solutions and recommendations are advanced. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for digital literacies, ambient learning, ambient play, and ambient inclusion in smart cities; 2) the evolving of urban theory for 21st century cities; and 3) ambient urbanities by formulating and operationalizing a conceptual framework for ambient learning, play, and inclusion for smart cities in support of research and practice.