smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ?? from smart city exhibition, bologna

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Smart Cities + Smart Citizens -------------------- Civic Intelligence?? Douglas Schuler Smart City Exhibition, Bologna, Italy October 17, 2013

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These are the slides from the keynote presentation at the Smart City Exhibition in Bologna on October 17. I discuss why the addition of people / citizens to the equation is absolutely critical.

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Page 1: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Smart Cities+ Smart Citizens

--------------------Civic Intelligence??

Douglas SchulerSmart City Exhibition, Bologna, Italy

October 17, 2013

Page 2: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Buongiorno e saluti!Vorrei ringraziare tutti voi per essere venuti.

Vorrei anche dirvi quanto apprezzo il lavoro che state facendo tutti.

Good Morning! I’m happy to be able to help — if possible — with your great work!

I’m going to concentrate on our motivation and some basic concepts and “home truths”

Page 3: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

My Basic Argument• Problems seem to be growing faster than solutions.

• Current approaches to governance are insufficient.

• Citizen revolt is widespread (and not necessarily effective)

• Millions of projects / experiments exist worldwide.

• Diffusion and renegotiating of “governance” is necessary and in-work.

• Complex situations require complex thinking, not “click to like.” Technology will play a role but it can’t do all of our thinking for us.

The main question is this: Will we be smart enough, soon enough?

Page 4: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Civic Intelligence is How I Begin to Address the Question

• Civic intelligence is the ability of people to solve its problems equitably and effectively through working together.

• It encompasses both research and action

• If it didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent it.

• It exists to some degree in all individual and groups but it could always be stronger!

Page 5: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

The first pattern of Liberating

Voices patternlanguage

Page 6: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Greetings from Seattle!

• “Most literate city” in the US

• Town Hall, NEPO, NW Film Forum, etc etc

• Department of Neighborhoods created the People’s Academy for Community Engagement; i.e. How to be an activist

• City government leader in carbon neutrality

• Maybe we need to join your networks?!

Page 7: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Seattle is a “smart city” and has

“smart citizens” but...

Does that mean it has civic intelligence?

All cities have some...

But all cities could have more...

Page 8: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

I applaud adding “Human” to “Smart Cities”

“Smart Cities” by itself captures an innovative and important concept in relation to the infrastructure of cities.

Adding “human” however avoids the misleading view that technology “solves” problems by itself without the involvement of people.

Not focusing on humans can also lead to less usable and effective systems. It would miss the most interesting and important part: Civic Infrastructure.

Page 9: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Two main reasons for citizen engagement

With strong, engaged citizenry we may be able to address our problems.

Without strong, engaged citizenry we won’t be able to address our problems.

One is positive and one is negative

Page 10: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Societies / cultures need citizens that• help maintain the society / culture

• believe in the legitimacy

• contribute ideas and other resources

• feel like they belong

Societies / cultures (not just gov.) need to provide opportunities for citizens• to earn a living

• to feel purposeful

• to be safe

• to have rights

• to participate in the direction of society, culture

Page 11: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

• Perception of problems

• Knowledge and skills to solve them

• Interest in doing so

• Mechanisms & processes & social capital

• Other resources — ICT, volunteers, money, etc

Elements of Civic Intelligence

And civic ignorance, the collection of forces that discourage civic intelligence, is always present but not always considered.

Page 12: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Civic Intelligence

Knowledge Attitude & aspirations

Organizational capital

Civic purpose

Emotions and empathy

Values

Social networks

Reputation

Norms

Organizational Structure

Enthusiasm & self-efficacy

Responsibility Opportunities

Access to resources

Financial assets

Diversity

Personnel

Issue & cultural fit

Information & communication

technology

Tools & equipmentCreativity

Social imagination

Leadership

Land, space, & buildings

Work practices, Processes,

& habits

Updated: August 27, 2013

Relational / social capital

Financial & material resources

Facts, laws, data, etc.

Access to knowledge

Skills or "applied knowledge"

Learning and meta-cognition

Searching & Monitoring

Salient knowledge

Courage

Theory

Solidarity

Social Critique

Computer models, simulations, apps

Other resourcesDecision-making

Focus, timing, & coordination

Page 13: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

We Can Use Proxy Measures

• [high] social and political engagement

• [high] social capital

• [high] health measures

• [high] good neighbor (e.g. willingness to help — and not merely move problems out)

• [low] levels of inequality

• [low] corruption (political and otherwise)

(even though civic intelligence is best evaluated with actual cases)

Page 14: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Some Home Truths of Civic Engagement

The informed contribution of citizens to governance is not optional; it’s absolutely indispensable.

We need more creativity, dedication, humor, reason, compassion, etc. Fortunately, people often have these attributes!

Remember that governance is not solely a technological matter. And that the market or side effects won’t solve our problems for us.

And citizen engagement is not “one size fits all.”

Nor is it a “silver bullet” that is guaranteed to work

Social inequality is still the root of most of our problems.

Page 15: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Challenges• Acknowledge actual problems and think through

how your approach could help. We must keep our eyes on the prize

• Developing meaningful opportunities for excluded people

• Sharing information and collaborating

• Making activism cool again

• Educating everybody

• Doing what needs to be done quickly enough, but not without deliberation and common sense

Page 16: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

Recommendations

• Use “civic intelligence” to orient your work — projects should directly or indirectly build it

• Strongly and loosely linked collaborations

• Agree on shared goals, or shared data objectives

• Continue to collaborate, even if resources are few

• Civic intelligence as part of “civic infrastructure?”

• Citizen “think tanks?”

• Work directly with mediators — civil society organizations, media, etc.

We’re all “laboratories” now!

Page 17: Smart city + smart citizens = civic intelligence ??  from Smart City Exhibition, Bologna

We will continue to collaborate — directly or

indirectly!

Thank you and mille grazie!