Democratic Participation in Smart Cities: Washington D.C. and Ottawa

• In Event: Democratic Participation in Cities

Abstract

Rapid urban densification is forcing local governments to reconsider governance strategies and participatory mechanisms in their interactions with citizens. Smart cities have been heralded as multi-faceted entities which utilise information and communication technologies to enhance citizen engagement and public participation. The purpose of this paper is to outline authoritative definitions of smart cities and democratic participation. Drawing on extant literature and official documents, Washington D.C. (USA) and Ottawa (Canada) are chosen as comparable North American capital city case studies. This paper demonstrates that Washington D.C. lacks democratic participatory mechanisms for citizens, whereas Ottawa offers greater participation, albeit in a similarly limited manner. In turn, it is determined that smart capital cities in North America lack genuine participatory mechanisms for citizens to engage in urban governance structures within smart cities. For the smart city to be truly realised, the author advocates that smart cities do more to incorporate democratic participation mechanisms.

Author

• Thomas Benson, University of Delaware