Canadian smart cities: Are we wiring new citizen‐local government interactions?

Abstract

In the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge contest, smart city proposals were created using traditional citizen engagement actions, such as face-to-face citizen meetings. • The use of transactional methods of citizen engagement, such as mobile apps and social media, is secondary in the development of smart city proposals. • Regardless of the outcome of smart city proposals, the process of developing the proposal should meaningfully engage citizens and resident stakeholders. Governments around the world are developing smart city projects, with the aim to realize diverse goals of increased efficiency, sustainability, citizen engagement, and improved delivery of services. The processes through which these projects are conceptualized vary dramatically, with potential implications for how citizens are involved or engaged. This research examines the 20 finalists in the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge, a Canadian federal government contest held from 2017 to 2019 to disburse funding in support of smart city projects. We analyzed each of the finalist proposals, coding all instances of citizen engagement used to develop the proposal. A significant majority of the proposals used traditional types of citizen engagement, notably citizen meetings, round tables, and workshops, to develop their smart city plans. We also noted the use of transactional forms of citizen engagement, such as apps, and the use of social media. Despite the general rhetoric of innovation in the development of smart cities, this research finds that citizens are most commonly engaged in traditional ways. This research provides cues for governments that are developing smart city projects, placing an emphasis on the importance of the process of smart city development, and not simply the product.

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