Smart Already

Revisiting the Smart City Through the Lens of Norms and Rituals

Abstract

The paper "Smart Already: Revisiting the Smart City Through the Lens of Norms and Rituals" critiques the algorithm-driven approach to smart cities, often reducing them to marketing tools rather than genuine technological progress. It calls for a way to integrate cultural norms and rituals into urban planning for a holistic model of smart cities. Two examples support this point: on the one hand, the dabbawalas of Mumbai as an instance of resourceful adaptability logistically speaking, without the recourse to high-tech solutions, and Kamikatsu in Japan as an exemplar of ritualized circular economy; and these bring forth traditional practices as augmenting and intensifying interventions of the technological in the urban context. It maintains that the data-driven process is undoubtedly fundamental in optimal functioning in urban systems and does not undermine already available social intelligence. Instead, this integration has the potential to enrich community well-being and strengthen social cohesion. This study underlines the need for a balanced approach, merging technological efficiency with human-centered design, proposing that smart cities should be reimagined to include these qualitative dimensions. In such a way, cities would be better able to deal with sustainability, resource management, and economic growth while safeguarding cultural identity and fostering social interaction.