Work

What roadblocks prevent realizing the smart city for all? An Amsterdam case study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The smart city is a shifting promise defined by current objectives. This means that smart cities redefine themselves as issues such as connectedness, sustainability, or equality become politically, commercially, and or socially more or less appealing. Certain seemingly invisible factors can impact the extent to which the promise of smart governance and infrastructure come to fruition. This paper examines Amsterdam's internal “smart” soft infrastructure, from politics, to policies, to practice. This overview, stemming from interviews and reports, uncovers how policies, funding, and government structure determine what the smart city is and the extent to which it can be inclusive and accessible for all. The Amsterdam case reveals that similar smart cities have the potential to suffer from short term projects, ethical issues unextractable from data dependency, and conflicting needs of diverse city-dwellers. These concerns make it such that independent self-funded forces with long-term visions may wield comparative power in smart urban development.

Source: Cities

DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.107003

Authors: Pınar Ebe-Güzgü, Sage Cammers-Goodwin

Institutions: Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University, University of Twente

Language: English

Topic: Smart Cities and Technologies

Subfield: Media Technology

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000