Hi-Tech Recovery? Disaster-Hit Areas, Smart City Strategies and Eu-Japan Convergences on Urban Technology Enhancement

Abstract

Since two major earthquakes that hit Central Italy and northeastern Japan in 2009 and 2011 respectively, revisionist plans to make both countries urbanization models and power production and distribution systems more sustainable and resilient have emerged. The governments of both Italy (with the support of the European Union) and Japan have invested considerable resources in establishing model smart communities in disaster-hit areas in L'Aquila and Aizuwakamatsu. How has the smart city idea (or ideal) shaped local policies for reconstruction and recovery in disaster-affected areas? Secondly, how have they contributed to informing cooperation at the international level? These questions are relevant in the light of Japan and the European Union's pledges to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in smart cities and communities development in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. With the launch of subsequent overarching strategies both the EU and Japan have shown their resolve to promote structural reforms through digitalization and cutting-hedge technology, in the attempt to foster economic recovery while promoting ʻsustainable economic growth'. However, such narrative, common to many advanced capitalist societies, appears instrumental to concealing plans to restructure environments and social arrangements while enhancing for-profit capital restructuring and better surveillance.