Smart Cities and (Smart) Cycling: Exploring the Synergies in Copenhagen and Amsterdam

Abstract

In cities worldwide, cycling is increasingly upgraded with smart technology and is included in smart cities' visions and projects. This process has not been problematized in public discourse, as smart innovation is seen as a potential booster of the known benefits of cycling. Drawing on critical literatures on smart cities, smart mobility, and degrowth and using the case studies of Copenhagen and Amsterdam, the article opens up a more critical conversation on the subject, discussing the role of "techno-solutionism,” technology push, and pro-innovation bias in the process of “smartification” of cycling.

Topics & Concepts