Participation in the Smart City: An Ethnographical Study of Citizen Engagement in Dublin

This thesis provides ethnographic insights into the nature of smart urban projects; secondly, it provides a theory explaining the motivation for participation as well as the benefits gained through engagement. Smart urban projects are celebrated for helping to improve social cohesion and aim make life more effective in the city by using ICTs. However, the voluntary nature of the collaborations calls for alternative legitimising routes to ensure the longevity and success of the projects. As many of the projects still pivot from their original goal or remain a fragment, it is worthwhile to ask the question: why is this activity so widely supported by public and private stakeholders and why do so many people try to engage in similar endeavours? Mapping, counting, visualising platforms appear to allow the collaborators to create a replica of their subjective cityscape. In the absence of money and traditional institutions trust is ensured by shared vision and common comprehension of underlying power structures. Creating their own version of the city, people are able to fully participate in their imagined society. By being part of this endless process of collaborative production their efforts are exchanged for urban citizenship. The thesis concludes by highlighting the incentive behind mapping, counting and visualizing projects appearing so often in smart cities. Based on my ethnography, I show the participatory nature of these projects and explain what brings about this emerging expertise.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Pétercsák, Réka

Language dc:language

en