Hi All,

I'm writing a research piece about 'Smart Cities, Smart Communities, Smart Citizens' and I am coming to you for help about areas to research/ thoughts about where this might lead. It will be 8000 words on the topic of smart cities and how citizens can participate in their development, in order to mitigate authoritarian smart technology usage where the data of a heavily analysed city is used by a select few for capitalist and self-important manifestos.

I feel there are a number of areas of smart cities that can be both positive (intelligent environmental technology and minimising waste, etc.) and also perceived as negative (heavy surveillance, 'police state', capitalist agendas around tailoring products, and the opportunity for developers to exploit human statistics to improve profit). 

My argument is that smart cities offer a fantastic opportunity for citizens to become involved in their cities - through participation and making transparent planning and development processes. A large aspect of this will be the use of social media and cell phones, and whether there could be apps such as tinder for cities. However, I also realise that there are obstacles in this in the form of citizen understanding and education/ background: how, when and to what extent this involvement is plausible.

My question (very vague and I would massively appreciate any help in this) is how can architects/ urban designers develop and foster a population of smart citizens who can become involved in smart communities, in order to bring about an understanding of, and thus an engagement with, the future of smart cities?

Thanks a whole bunch and I would really appreciate any references, views, opinions, and/or knowledge on the topic!!

Kind regards,
Chris