Disrupted Urbanism: Situated Smart Initiatives in African Cities

By Nancy Odendaal

Book Overview

The 'smart city' is often promoted as a technology-driven solution to complex urban issues. While commentators are increasingly critical of techno-optimistic narratives, the political imagination is dominated by claims that technical solutions can be uniformly applied to intractable problems.

This book provides a much-needed alternative view, exploring how 'home-grown' digital disruption, driven and initiated by local actors, upends the mainstream corporate narrative.

Drawing on original research conducted in a range of urban African settings, Odendaal shows how these initiatives can lead to meaningful change.

This is a valuable resource for scholars working in the intersection of science and technology studies, urban and economic geography and sociology.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1529218578
• ISBN13: 9781529218572
• Release Date: February 2023
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"