The allure of 'smart city' rhetoric: India and Africa

Watson, V. (2015). The allure of “smart city” rhetoric. Dialogues in Human Geography, 5(1), 36–39. doi:10.1177/2043820614565868

Platform
Cape Town
Publication type
Scientific article (peer-reviewed)
Projects
Contributing to Urban Debates in South Africa
DOI Title
The allure of ‘smart city’ rhetoric
Journal
Dialogues in Human Geography
ISSN/ISBN
2043-8206 2043-8214
DOI
10.1177/2043820614565868
Author(s)
Vanessa Watson
Published year
Subject
Geography, Planning and Development
Tags
African Cities fantasy cities smart cities urban inequalities

 

Abstract

New visions of future cities, often graphically depicted as replicas of Dubai or Singapore and frequently promoted under the label of ‘smart cities’, are sweeping the Indian subcontinent, but increasingly they are appearing on the African continent as well. This response to Datta’s article draws the parallels and differences between what can be called ‘fantasy city’ ideas in these two parts of the world and warns of the consequences.

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