Leveraging the promise of smart cities to advance smart growth

The proliferation of digital technologies in cities has sparked a growing interest in the concept of smart cities, the idea that digital information and communication technologies can be used to effectively address urban problems. This chapter discusses the rise and logic of the smart city idea, arguing it often takes the form of managerial innovations that therefore avoid the political conflicts surrounding smart growth policies, raise new political disputes. As a consequence, the smart city and smart growth ideas now coexist as largely separate debates. In response, this chapter argues smart growth proponents engage with digital technologies in two areas related to traditional smart growth policy goals: ensure new technologies such as automated vehicles are deployed in ways that pursue smart growth goals, and upgrade professional tools to better monitor and respond to urban change.