Connect the city: Rights, justice and the digital divide
Among the trends accelerated by the pandemic, digitalisation stands out for its pace of change. Large parts of education, work, and social services moved online in a matter of weeks. Though many people lack the connections, equipment, and skills to access what are often fundamental…
Why COVID-19 might not change our cities as much as we expect
COVID-19 impacts provide an opportunity for our cities to shift to new ways of urban living. But only if we couple this opportunity with technology and deliberate collective action will sustained and equitable change happen. What is imperative, therefore, is that governments similarly couple technology…
“Stop 5G”. Residents, doctors and judges going against the grain of Italy’s infatuation with smartphones
European institutions, telecom corporations and national governments are rushing to roll out 5G on the continent. The technology is promoted as a driver of growth and employment, but questions remain unanswered about its real economic benefits for people. On the ground, some are getting worried…
Tech giants, privatisers and the arms industry. Fighting the “smart city” in France
All over the globe, corporations and politicians are hyping up the concept of “smart cities”, but what exactly lies behind the catchy slogan? And whose interests does it serve? There is growing resistance to the idea due to fears of privatisation, increasing surveillance as well…
Organizing under lockdown: online activism, local solidarity
The coronavirus pandemic is confronting us with unprecedented contradictions. The foundations of neoliberal capitalism are crumbling before our eyes, as governments in the EU are taking control over their economies in ways that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. At the same…
From mutual aid to dual power in the state of emergency
With the shutdown of businesses, schools and countless other institutions, millions of people are facing loss of income, housing and access to basic survival resources, including food. The need for self-organized infrastructures of mutual aid, care and resilience could not be clearer. In the coming…
From vectoralism to platform municipalism: Imagining a ‘people’s smart city’
The author presents ideas on an emerging mode of production based on information and digital data-what the critical theorist McKenzie Wark christens as ‘vectors’-which is arguably replacing capitalism. Vectors are lines of economic activity connecting producers and consumers extensively across space through intensive technologies of…
Indigenous technologies “could change the way we design cities” says environmentalist Julia Watson
Indigenous communities are pioneers of technologies that offer solutions to climate change, according to designer and environmentalist Julia Watson. In her new book Watson argues that tribal communities, seen by many as primitive, are highly advanced when it comes to creating systems in symbiosis with…
How can we implement direct democracy in European cities?
An interview with Bernardo Gutierrez, responsible for the Innovation Laboratories of MediaLab Prado de Madrid at the Our Common City conference held in Budapest (February 22 & 23, 2019). Part one: Part two: Photo: Joel Filipe