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Scientific Article details

Title Methods for Uncovering Discourses That Shape the Urban Imaginary in Helsinki's Smart City
ID_Doc 38225
Authors Zaman, S; Hertweck, C
Title Methods for Uncovering Discourses That Shape the Urban Imaginary in Helsinki's Smart City
Year 2022
Published
DOI 10.3389/frsc.2022.796469
Abstract In modern urban environments the technologies that are basic to everyday life have become further embedded in that life. Smart cities are one example of the acceleration of technological change in order to engage with urban sustainability challenges, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as one mode of engagement. However, the discourses through which cities engage with smart city growth and management can have long-term consequences for diverse knowledge held within the imaginaries of situated smart urbanism. As the city of Helsinki increasingly focuses on sustainable smart city initiatives, concurrent research suggests that smart urbanism is at a crossroads, where developers must decide how smart cities choose to engage with its residents' knowledge. This research sets out to ask, how are top-down smart city interventions communicated on Twitter (de)legitimizing diverse knowledge in situated smart urbanism? We draw from Foucaudian theory to identify which discourses are elevated, through statements posted on the social media platform Twitter. By answering this question, our goal in this paper is to examine how Foucault's methods can be used to highlight unseen assumptions about smart urbanism in Helsinki. Our objective is to identify overarching narratives and potential contested conceptualizations of smart urbanism in Helsinki. With our methods, we contribute a novel angle to surfacing power relations that are becoming evident in the development of AI-governed smart cities.
Author Keywords smart cities; urban imaginaries; discourse analysis; subjectivities; Twitter discourse; Foucault
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
EID WOS:000911892700001
WoS Category Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Urban Studies
Research Area Science & Technology - Other Topics; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Urban Studies
PDF https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.796469/pdf
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