Smart City Experimental Governance

The success of Smart City depends on the ability to innovate. One domain that are challenging but critical for innovation is the way we govern our city to improve the quality of life. Through the examination of 50 Urban Living Labs (ULL), a platform for city stakeholders to formulate urban solutions, Kronsell and Mukhtar-Landgren encourage that municipalities experiment in the urban governance, that encourage the process of creating solution to the complex urban challenges. 

Municipalities can take up three different kinds of roles; Promoter, the one who own and lead the ULL; an Enabler, as support and facilitator of the collaboration; or Partner, where leadership are shared between actors. The roles may vary and evolve over time, but municipalities around the globe have shown great capacity to initiate & govern the collaboration and organise the funding for urban solutions or projects. Thus, to accelerate the transition toward smart city, this study suggest that municipalities are strongly encouraged to experiment the governance system through their city collaboration platform. 

Reference:

Kronsell, A., & Mukhtar-Landgren, D. (2018). Experimental governance: The role of municipalities in urban living labs. European planning studies, 26(5), 988-1007.

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