„Smart cities and beyond”
7 to 9 September 2020 in Luxembourg
The German Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung, ARL) in cooperation with the University of Luxembourg is inviting applications for the ARL International Summer School 2020 on “Smart cities and beyond”, which will take place from 7 to 9 September 2020 in Luxembourg (arrival scheduled for 6 September 2020). Advanced doctoral students from all disciplines are invited to apply. The summer school will be held in English. The deadline for applications is 2 March 2020.
THE ISSUE
In recent years, “smart cities” has become a hegemonic concept in urban discourses, referring either to the broad set of technologies introduced towards steering infrastructure and the intelligent use of resources, or to improving the built environment by clever planning approaches. Firms, transfer agencies and municipalities seem to be working hard on the implementation of smart metres, energy efficiency, intelligent mobility, and the like. However, the scholarly literature on digital cities clearly demonstrates that there are externalities, uncertainties and risks associated with the hype and the rash introduction of ‘smartness’. Also, open discourses should not be confined to a narrow understanding of smart technologies. As it is yet rather unclear what these may mean in urban and regional contexts, the ARL International Summer School 2020 is particularly dedicated to discussing these questions. Our aim is to uncover the whole range of issues, potentials and risks that are associated with Smart Cities, to reconstruct related policy narratives and to link research and practice insofar as it concerns the design of robust strategies of urban and regional development.