THE PROMISES OF SMARTNESS

What does smartness denote?
What dimensions of wealth does smartness address?

This project examines historically and ethnographically the relationship between contemporary smart urbanism and wealth, and the urban economies transformed through smart technologies.

Ethnographically, the research will occur
in five sites in five different countries:
Denver, Hamburg, Kolkata, Nairobi, and Tokyo.

Historically, the research will examine
genealogies of smartness and venture capital at these sites and compare smart urban initiatives globally.

About Us

Our Projects

Denver

In Denver, also dubbed ‘Silicon Mountain’, the focus is on smart energy infrastructures and energy markets offering resilience.


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Hamburg

In Germany’s ‘smartest city’, Hamburg, we focus on experiments in smart logistics and the primary promise of optimization.

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Kolkata

In India, Kolkata’s satellite cities provide a case of smart, speculative real estate development promising sustainability.

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Nairobi​

In Nairobi, Kenya’s ‘Silicon Savannah’, we explore financial technology platforms and their promise of inclusion and human capital development.

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Tokyo

In Tokyo, we explore
the promise of convenience through a study of smart retail.



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Publications

2023—2027

Fintech ‘frontiers’ and the platformed motorcycle: Emergent infrastructures of value creation in African cities

Concerned with financialized extraction, the exploitation of precarious workers and racialized violence, critical scholars call for greater attention to the coloniality of financial technology (fintech) expansion in Africa. In this article, we echo the utility in foregrounding coloniality, but argue that it should be read as one among multiple, specific, and entangled ways in which fintech is creating new forms of value in the context of Africa’s urbanization.
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Conference call

Urban Speculations: Cities, Technologies, Futures

4-6 February 2025, Lüneburg, Germany

Host: Centre for Digital Cultures, Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Organizers: Ilia Antenucci, Armin Beverungen, Maja-Lee Voigt, Randi Heinrichs, Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal

Deadline for abstracts: 1 July 2024

Confirmed keynote and keynote panel speakers: Lauren Bridges, Liza Cirolia, Constance Carr, Berlin vs. Amazon, Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Andrea Pollio, Niloufar Vadiati

Affiliations

Funder