Visioning

Europe needs ‘smart urbanism’, not ‘smart cities’

Everywhere we hear the discourse of ‘smart cities’. It promises an era of innovative urban planning, driven by smart urban technologies that will makes cities safer, cleaner and, above all, more efficient. Efficiency seems uncontroversial, but does it make for great cities? I would argue for a ‘smart urbanism’ instead of uncritically adopting ‘smart cities’ …

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Smart Move

Ik ging naar Amsterdam om de toekomst te zien. Een grote internationale conferentie over smart cities in de RAI; wellicht de meest efficiënte manier om er achter te komen wat we hier van kunnen verwachten. Wie zich in smart cities taal uitdrukt heeft het oor van de bestuurder. Technologische oplossingen, grote lokale politieke ambities (‘Copenhagen …

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Shifting Gear – The Politics of Sustainable Mobility

Mobility is the elixir of modern society. Man has been a travelling species for longer, of course. The quest not only for food, power and wealth, but also for ideas has inspired people to travel for ages. But during the modern era, we have perfected the mobility system. We now have a global economy that …

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