Locating the fourth helix

Rethinking the role of civil society in developing smart learning cities

Bibliographic Data

ID4786092
AuthorsKatarzyna Borkowska (0000-0001-7607-6448, University of Glasgow, corresponding author), Michael Osborne (0000-0002-1609-385X, University of Glasgow)
Year2018
Volume64
Issue3
Pages355-372
Publication date2018-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Review of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-8566 • E-ISSN: 1573-0638
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11159-018-9723-0
OpenAlexW2796280350
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited31

In the Global North and increasingly in the Global South, smart city technologies are enthusiastically seen as a solution to urban problems and as an alternative to austerity. However, to move beyond a narrow technological focus, it is necessary to explore the degree to which smart initiatives are committed to building socially inclusive innovation with learning at its core. Using the particular case of the Future City Demonstrator Initiative in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the most high-profile initiative of its kind funded by government, the authors of this article assess the extent to which this smart city adopts such an inclusive approach. They use the quadruple helix model (government - academia - industry - civil society) as a starting point and develop an analytic framework composed of four strands: (1) supporting participation of citizens in decision-making; (2) implementing technological innovation which positions citizens as active users; (3) implementing technological innovation to benefit the community; and (4) evaluating technological innovation in the light of the experiences and needs of citizens. Unlike most analyses, the principal focus of this article is on the fourth element of the helix, civil society. The authors argue that Glasgow’s rhetoric of smart urbanism, while aspiring to problem-solving, devalues certain principles of human agency. They emphasise that urban change, including the city’s desire to become technologically innovative, would more fully facilitate active citizenship, social inclusion and learning opportunities for all if it were underpinned by the broader conceptions and frameworks of learning cities

Agency (philosophy · Austerity · Citizenship · Civil society · Global citizenship · Government (linguistics · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rhetoric · Smart city · Social science · Sociology · Urbanism · Architecture · Engineering · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development · Public Administration · Smart Cities and Technologies · University-Industry-Government Innovation Models

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