IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A

Abstract

This presentation focuses on participatory practices when working with both vulnerable and non-vulnerable communities in citizen science-driven interventions in the City of Aarhus (Denmark), and how the city works with user engagement and agency when dealing with community-based design practices within their smart city ecosystem. First, I explain the findings from the study of Aarhus’ two interventions in the Horizon 2020 EU project DivAirCity. The project seeks to improve environmental, health and social conditions in cities by prioritising participation of the groups deemed most at risk. The two interventions in Aarhus are focused on 1) creating an alternative route with better air quality for wheelchair users, and 2) making a green screen and pocket park together with locals. Then, I discuss how each intervention focuses on different communities in the city, and how this may influence how the members of these communities are involved. I touch upon my methodological approaches, such as Actor-Network Theory (Law, 1992; Callon, 1986) and Situational Analysis (Clarke et al., 2022) – chosen for their suitability when trying to analyse relations in a complex ecosystem – and I also explain the ethnographic methods used for my case study, such as interviews and participatory observations (Tracy, 2013; Charmaz, 2007). Lastly, I explain my contributions to the field so far and how my findings may help illuminate the importance of involving communities when designing solutions for their benefit in smart cities. I discuss what factors influence this design practice and co-creation process, and how this process could be improved.