The Centre for Policy Studies is organising a talk by Prof. P.B. Anand, University of Bradford, England titled ‘Smart Cities and Smarter Citizens: Challenges and Opportunities’. Please register here.
Abstract
By now, we have already heard so much about smart cities that we have begun to feel that they are yesterday’s news. We know that they are here and we have moved on. So, one might pause and ask, why talk about them? Much of the discussion on smart cities comes from the technology and the data angles. In this session, our focus is mainly on how those technical aspects collide with social, economic, and ethical dimensions of smart cities. I begin with a critique of the laudable definitions of smart cities and highlight why these definitions are almost impossible to achieve or realise. I would like to highlight four different categories of smart cities and that any city that is embarking on a journey to become a smart city should clarify some important issues and ethical concerns such as: (a) in a world of digital have-nots, how will smart city benefit those who are unconnected; (b) how are concerns about privacy, data origin, ownership and data protection embedded; (c) is it an all or nothing or is there a series of escalating degrees of smartness with clear exit strategies at each stage; (d) how is the agency and autonomy of individual citizens preserved and protected. After a brief discussion on work in progress on developing indicators, I hope to identify clear issues for policy and further research.
About the Speaker
P.B. Anand is Professor of Public Policy and Sustainable Development and Head of Peace
Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford where he has been
teaching since 1998. He is a member of the Council of the Development Studies Association and
a Fellow of the Human Development and Capability Association. He was the principal author
and team leader of the Mongolia Human Development Report 2011 and contributed to other
UNDP studies on climate change, extractive economies, and sustainable development. His
previous works include his book Scarcity, Entitlements and the Economics of Water in
Developing Countries (2007) and several papers on applying the capability approach to issues
related to access to water and sustainability. With Flavio Comim and Shailaja Fennell, he edited
New Frontiers of the Capability Approach (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Handbook of
BRICS and Emerging Economies (Oxford University Press, 2020).
Please register for Prof Anand’s talk here. The Zoom link will be sent to registered participants.
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