There is growing talk of smart cities of the future based on advanced and connected technologies. There are a growing number of policy initiatives and financial perspectives that support such development and introduce solutions based on artificial intelligence, automation, complex databases and mobile technologies, as well as biotechnology solutions in urban as well as rural environments. Conventional scientific and technological approaches are upgraded with methods of speculative or community design and practice of contemporary research art.
But what role will people’s connectivity and their knowledge of the use of advanced technologies play in this? How to create smart communities that can rely on high technologies to meet societal needs in line with the goals of sustainable development? How to move from purely good user experience and cross-cutting European trends to developing deeper, strategic partnerships between providers and users of social and cultural infrastructure?