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From smart to rebel city? Worlding, provincialising and the Barcelona Model

Author

Listed:
  • Greig Charnock

    (The University of Manchester, UK)

  • Hug March

    (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain)

  • Ramon Ribera-Fumaz

    (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain)

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the ‘Barcelona Model’ of urban transformation through the lenses of worlding and provincialising urbanism. We trace this evolution from an especially dogmatic worlding vision of the smart city, under a centre-right city council, to its radical repurposing under the auspices of a municipal government led, after May 2015, by the citizens’ platform Barcelona en Comú. We pay particular attention to the new council’s objectives to harness digital platform technologies to enhance participative democracy, and its agenda to secure technological sovereignty and digital rights for its citizens. While stressing the progressive intent of these aims, we also acknowledge the challenge of going beyond the repurposing of smart technologies so as to engender new and radical forms of subjectivity among citizens themselves; a necessary basis for any urban revolution.

Suggested Citation

  • Greig Charnock & Hug March & Ramon Ribera-Fumaz, 2021. "From smart to rebel city? Worlding, provincialising and the Barcelona Model," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 581-600, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:58:y:2021:i:3:p:581-600
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098019872119
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ryan Burns & Victoria Fast & Anthony Levenda & Byron Miller, 2021. "Smart cities: Between worlding and provincialising," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 461-470, February.
    2. Matthew Cook & Andrew Karvonen, 2024. "Urban planning and the knowledge politics of the smart city," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(2), pages 370-382, February.
    3. Yu-Shan Tseng & Christoph Becker & Ida Roikonen, 2024. "Dialectical approach to unpacking knowledge-making for digital urban democracy: A critical case of Helsinki-based e-participatory budgeting," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(1), pages 112-129, January.
    4. Clara Irazábal & Paola Jirón, 2021. "Latin American smart cities: Between worlding infatuation and crawling provincialising," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 507-534, February.
    5. Fernando Fernandez-Monge & Sarah Barns & Rainer Kattel & Francesca Bria, 2024. "Reclaiming data for improved city governance: Barcelona’s New Data Deal," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(7), pages 1291-1307, May.
    6. Aline Suter & Lars Kaiser & Martin Dušek & Florin Hasler & Simone Tappert, 2024. "Digital Rights to the City: Local Practices and Negotiations of Urban Space on Decidim," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9.
    7. Byron Miller & Kevin Ward & Ryan Burns & Victoria Fast & Anthony Levenda, 2021. "Worlding and provincialising smart cities: From individual case studies to a global comparative research agenda," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 655-673, February.
    8. Romeo-Victor Ionescu & Monica Laura Zlati & Valentin-Marian Antohi, 2023. "Smart cities from low cost to expensive solutions under an optimal analysis," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-34, December.

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