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The smart city model: A new panacea for urban sustainability or unmanageable complexity?

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  • Johan Colding
  • Magnus Colding
  • Stephan Barthel

Abstract

Despite several calls in this journal of debating the rapid growth of the literature on “smart cities†, such a debate has in large been absent. Smart cities are often un-critically launched as a sustainable way of developing cities. When cities become increasingly complex as its features are wired into the Internet, theories for their understanding is lagging behind. As it is prospected that a greater number of people and things will become connected by Information and Computer Technology, the complexity of urban systems will over time increase. Historical insights reveal that as complexity in societies increase, growth in energy consumption tends to follow. In this paper, we discuss whether complexity carried too far could lead to diminishing returns of energy saving and create unmanageable urban systems. As part of initiating such a debate, this commentary asks whether the smart cities development has a bearing on the issue whether a society can erode its capacity of sustaining itself? We pose this question against the backdrop that no one actually knows what type of society the smart cities model in the end will generate.

Suggested Citation

  • Johan Colding & Magnus Colding & Stephan Barthel, 2020. "The smart city model: A new panacea for urban sustainability or unmanageable complexity?," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 47(1), pages 179-187, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:47:y:2020:i:1:p:179-187
    DOI: 10.1177/2399808318763164
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jens Malmodin & Dag Lundén & Åsa Moberg & Greger Andersson & Mikael Nilsson, 2014. "Life Cycle Assessment of ICT," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(6), pages 829-845, December.
    2. Robert G. Hollands, 2015. "Critical interventions into the corporate smart city," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 8(1), pages 61-77.
    3. Jeroen Bergh, 2011. "Energy Conservation More Effective With Rebound Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 48(1), pages 43-58, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lill Sarv & Ralf-Martin Soe, 2021. "Transition towards Smart City: The Case of Tallinn," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Dubaniowski, Mateusz Iwo & Heinimann, Hans Rudolf, 2021. "Framework for modeling interdependencies between households, businesses, and infrastructure system, and their response to disruptions—application," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).

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