The digital city and the struggle for urban public spaces

A pragmatic rethinking of public space and digital rights in a postliberal urban future

Bibliographic Data

ID19491413
AuthorsEhsan Dorostkar (0000-0003-2090-7059, University of Tehran, corresponding author), Mahsa Najarsadeghi (0000-0001-5185-2914)
Year2026
Volume6
Issue2
Pages255-264
Publication date2026-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Governance (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2664-3286 • E-ISSN: 2667-3800
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ugj.2026.05.004
OpenAlexW7164205373
LanguageEN
References cited32

As digital technologies are increasingly integrated into urban infrastructures, the concept of public space is being transformed. The present paper addresses the relationship between the digital city and urban commons and how digitalization reinforces and subverts the public space paradigm in the post-neoliberal city. While digital technologies promise greater efficiency, connectivity, and civic participation, they also exacerbate social inequalities, facilitate new forms of surveillance and exclusion, and privatize public space. In light of neoliberalism theory, urban commons, and digital rights, this paper critically reflects on how cities are reconfiguring public spaces in the age of smart cities and data-driven government. Drawing on analyses of urban alternative practices and grassroots resistance, the article explores the potential for recapturing the urban commons through collective action to reassert citizens' Right to the city. The study finds new digital movements that challenge the hegemony of corporate-led urban policy and offers a lens for thinking about the future of cities through a balance of technological advancement and social justice. Lastly, this article requires reimagining city government that ensures the digital city is a place of participatory democracy, inclusiveness, and fairness in the face of neoliberal demands

Digital Rights · Public policy · Public space · Space (punctuation) · Urban planning · Urban space · Smart Cities and Technologies · Social Media and Politics · Urban Planning and Governance