Smartly sustainable or sustainably smart? - A study on the constitutive elements of the Smart Sustainable City: A study on the constitutive elements of the Smart Sustainable cIty
Translated title
Smartly sustainable or sustainably smart? - A study on the constitutive elements of the Smart Sustainable City
Author
Westerhuis, Mark Jacob
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-06-08
Pages
82
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Smart City og Sustainable City relaterer sig til hinanden i udviklingen af Smart Sustainable City (SSC). Baggrunden er, at uklarhed om dette forhold kan forringe grundlaget for en robust SSC-teori og dermed for fremtidig byudvikling. Projektet kombinerer en systemorienteret forståelse af byen med en kvalitativ, fortolkende tilgang. På baggrund af litteratur og interviews med fagfolk gennemføres diskurs-, indholds- og tematisk analyse af begge begreber ud fra seks perspektiver (definitioner, epistemologi, funktioner, økonomi, politik og samfund), suppleret af en gennemgang af fire byudviklingsprojekter med samme linse. Resultaterne peger på, at politiske og samfundsmæssige dynamikker i praksis former byudvikling mere end teknisk optimering; at Smart City sandsynligvis vil spille en fremtrædende rolle i SSC på grund af den store opmærksomhed, finansiering og troen på IKT som løftestang; og at der er indbyggede spændinger mellem erklærede bæredygtighedsmål og et økonomisk grundlag, som bygger på fortsat vækst. Smart City og Sustainable City rummer både overlap og forskelle, hvilket gør skarpe afgrænsninger upraktiske og peger på behovet for fortolkningsrum. Specialet argumenterer for, at en SSC-teori bør balancere tekniske og samfundsmæssige hensyn og give større plads til socialt konstrueret viden for at undgå at gentage tidligere fejlslutninger og øge chancen for succesfuld implementering.
This thesis examines how the Smart City and Sustainable City concepts relate to each other in shaping the Smart Sustainable City (SSC). It starts from the concern that unclear linkages between the two may weaken the foundation for a robust SSC theory and future urban development. The study combines a systems-oriented framing with a qualitative, interpretive approach. Drawing on literature and interviews with practitioners, it applies discourse, content, and thematic analysis across six lenses (definitions, epistemology, functions, economy, politics, and society), and reviews four urban development projects using the same framework. Findings indicate that political and societal dynamics in practice shape urban development more than technocratic optimization; that Smart City is likely to play a prominent role in SSC due to attention, funding, and faith in ICT as an enabler; and that there are built-in tensions between stated sustainability goals and an economic foundation premised on continuous growth. Smart City and Sustainable City exhibit both overlaps and differences, making strict separation unhelpful and underscoring the value of interpretive flexibility. The thesis argues that SSC theory should better integrate technical and societal dimensions and give greater weight to socially constructed knowledge to avoid repeating past shortcomings and improve prospects for effective implementation.
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