Shared Cities, Smart Citizens

Shared Cities, Smart Citizens examines the conditions for building shared smart cities based on data commons and explores how these data commons can contribute to the empowerment of citizens.

We will research the roles and powers community stakeholders have, the ways in which they interact with data, and how creative and participatory methodologies could serve to apply/realize the concept of a data commons in real-life projects to tackle urban challenges. Placed at the center of addressing these challenges are public values and the rights and needs of citizens.

Projects

Three forms of participatory research methodologies that empower citizens to engage with and respond to urban challenges are explored. Each of these challenges focuses on a different domain and region.

Data Empowerment Design Studio

In this project researchers of the LDE Centre for BOLD Cities organised and hosted a so-called Data Empowerment Design Studio in which a wide variety of stakeholders partook to co-creatively develop imaginaries of a more democratic, inclusive and resilient Afrikaanderwijk in Rotterdam-Zuid.
Centre for BOLD Cities

Governing an Air Quality Data Commons

In the province of North-Holland data on air quality is collected through a citizen sensing network. The focus of this research is on the development of a governance model for data commons that contributes to the empowerment of citizens.
waag

Open data inclusion for democracy: citizen empowerment at the local level

The team from Utrecht University researched the availability and usability of open data by citizens to become a constructive discussion partner in neighbourhood development of the Einsteinkwartier in Utrecht Overvecht. Through a living lab approach, citizens as well as other community stakeholders use data as a basis for meaningful conversation on the way forward.
Utrecht University

Results

Each subproject published a research report and additional visual or textual material. This can be found below and on the subsequent project pages (above). The different research methodologies followed in each project were recorded in practice timelines which can be accessed on the different project pages and through the co-creation navigator hosted by Waag.

Brief for Citymakers

(Smart Cities) Shared Cities, Smart Citizens

Brief for Citymakers

Reports

Utrecht Overvecht Train Station in 1987

Open data for democracy: empowerment of citizens

Reporting the results of the Living Lab Utrecht Overvecht
Utrecht University
The Afrikaandermarkt in Rotterdam-Zuid with projected area development in the background

Data Empowerment Design Studio #2

A democratic, inclusive, resilient Afrikaanderwijk 2040
Centre for BOLD Cities
A man holding a HoLu-kit_v1 on a field in Wijk aan Zee

Governing an Air Quality Data Commons

A public stack approach to governance in the Hollandse Luchten citizen science initiative
waag

Blogs and visualisations

A man holding a HoLu kit on the beach at IJmuiden

How do Hollandse Luchten participants use their air quality data?

Waag
A group discussing data use cases for their air quality data

Hollandse Luchten: Mapping use cases with the Public Stack

Waag
People walking in different directions on a street

The trouble with 'citizens'

and the search for a new word for us
Waag
Man holding a sign saying 'no centralised control'

Tech Takeover

Smart technology erodes personal and public spaces, but it doesn’t have to
waag
Stacked circles in different colours

Public Stack Assessment of Hollandse Luchten

An Extended Analysis
Waag
People working on a poster

Imaginaries for the Afrikaanderwijk

Blue & Green; Living & Working Together; Managing & Governing
Centre for BOLD Cities

The Pamphlets

Municipal election posters based on a future vision for the Afrikaanderwijk
Centre for BOLD Cities

data commons

Commons are shared resources managed by communities with an aim of assuring their sustainability and inclusivity. Data commons entail a governance structure in which stakeholders manage and share data based on public/collectively defined (dynamic) values and terms. Agreement on how the data can be used are fundamental especially when personal data are being handled, or data comes from multiple sources.

smart citizens

We use the term 'smart citizens' as opposed to the term 'smart city'. A smart city is an urban development vision to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) and Internet of things (IoT) technology in a secure fashion to manage a city's assets. We believe the city should not get smarter, but it's citizens.