Smart urbanism in Africa: when theories do not fit with contextual practices

Conceptualizing an Informational Paradigm in the Pursuit of Sustainable Cities and Communities

“…Similarly, the intricacy of incorporating ICT into planning processes becomes evident in the need for both vertical and horizontal coordination. Vertical coordination pertains to communication and collaboration between multiple levels of governmental and administrative hierarchies [13,68]. In contrast, horizontal coordination involves collaborative efforts among various actors, including governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and citizens, aiming to co-create planning approaches through collaborative decision-making processes [40,69].…”

“…In contrast, horizontal coordination involves collaborative efforts among various actors, including governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and citizens, aiming to co-create planning approaches through collaborative decision-making processes [40,69]. Recent scholars have highlighted a significant issue in ICT implementation, namely the absence of context-specific knowledge, which contributes to the implementation gap in planning [68,69]. In this regard, Lefebvre's analogy to hydrodynamics can aid in understanding the complex interplay between global movements and local tendencies by taking the two major and minor determinants into account: 1. social loci would be mobilized in the wider "space of flows," colliding and interfering with one another to form global networks; and, 2. the networks, which in turn, permeate the representation of the weaker tendencies consisting of localized interactions, smaller-scale movements, and specific social contexts within their broader social space [4,21].…”

“…Though digital engagement enables local communication and global interaction, its effective application in planning extends beyond acquiring technical capacity, organizational skills, and digitally connected citizens to translate knowledge into communicative action, a challenge often observed in developing countries [13,14,67]. The success of implementing participatory planning through online platforms relies on various factors such as infrastructure, human capacity, digital diffusion, and policy [70], requiring customized and context-specific interventions tailored to the characteristics and needs of each specific context [13,68].…”