Abstract
This chapter about playful urban planning argues that play and games can
help foster smart citizenship. In recent years, many cities have embarked
on what is termed smart-city policies, deploying ICT to optimize a variety
of urban processes. Various authors have noted that these smart-city
policies often leave little room for civic action and agency. This contribution proposes the notion of the ‘playful city’ as an alternative vision for
leveraging the smartness of people in creating more livable and lively cities.
Play, it is argued, should not be positioned as offering solutions to urban
problems. Instead, play offers alternative narratives about the potential
futures of city-making, and reinserts the ‘political’ into smart city-making.
help foster smart citizenship. In recent years, many cities have embarked
on what is termed smart-city policies, deploying ICT to optimize a variety
of urban processes. Various authors have noted that these smart-city
policies often leave little room for civic action and agency. This contribution proposes the notion of the ‘playful city’ as an alternative vision for
leveraging the smartness of people in creating more livable and lively cities.
Play, it is argued, should not be positioned as offering solutions to urban
problems. Instead, play offers alternative narratives about the potential
futures of city-making, and reinserts the ‘political’ into smart city-making.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Playful Citizen |
| Subtitle of host publication | Civic Engagement in a Mediatized Culture |
| Editors | René Glas, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Joost Raessens, Imar de Vries |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
| Publisher | Amsterdam University Press |
| Chapter | 18 |
| Pages | 349-369 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789462984523 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789462984523 |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 |
Keywords
- Smart city
- playful city
- city-making
- smartness
- civic engagement