Disrupted Urbanism

The smart city discourse tends to ignore the cultural and spatial characteristics that define African cities. This book titled Disrupted Urbanism: Situated Smart Initiatives in African Cities explores the notion of technology disruption through discussion of a series of urban practises in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, Zanzibar and South Africa that use digital platforms to address socio-spatial challenges. Four themes are focused upon here: mobility, food security, social mobilisation and public culture. By considering how the appropriation of digital platforms potentially enables more inclusive and efficient cities, the book engages debates on African urbanism and platform urbanism through a relational lens. The book concludes on situated smart initiatives in these five countries by surfacing the dimensions of the current socio-technical evolutions of African cities. Central to the relationship between material and human agency are flow and connection, as well as the functioning of trust and continuity in enabling these dynamics. The digitisation of city processes raises tensions between traditional governance frames and emerging regimes, and the hybrid nature of the African ‘smart city’.

Abstract based directly on source.