The Right to the Smart City

About the projectTeamPublicationsRaport

The Right to the Smart City:

The Impact of New Technologies on Quality of Life, Social Relations, and Urban Politics

Projekt NCN (SONATA BIS 8, Nr 2018/30/E/HS6/00379) – 2019-2023

This project aims to investigate the consequences of technological development in the context of urban life. We seek to understand how digitalization and emerging technologies influence the quality of life of city dwellers, shape urban development, and inform city governance. Our primary focus is on how technology may affect the realization of democratic values, equality, and social justice in urban settings.

By analyzing specific policy strategies and smart city initiatives in Singapore, Tallinn, and Warsaw, we aim to assess whether these developments come at the expense of quality of life and democratic integrity.

We operate on the premise that ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) can significantly shape how urban residents perceive their rights and responsibilities toward their local environment, influencing behaviors toward fellow citizens, urban spaces, and municipal institutions.

Drawing on established sociological and psychological theories—including the recently articulated concept of the “digital right to the city”—we aim to explore how technological innovation impacts residents’ well-being, social cohesion, and the quality of local democracy. By “quality of local democracy,” we refer to the capacity of residents to articulate their interests and participate meaningfully in decisions that shape the future of their cities.

Despite growing interest in smart urban technologies, there remains a notable gap in the social sciences when it comes to in-depth research on the social and psychological consequences of technology implementation for urban quality of life and democratic participation. This project seeks to fill that gap by conducting foundational research to better understand the societal implications of technological transformations in cities around the world.

Methods:

Our empirical focus will include comparative case studies of:

  • Singapore and Tallinn — both global leaders in smart city innovation

  • Warsaw — where new technologies are introduced to improve democratic processes but face challenges such as resource management, social conflict, low community integration, and weak place attachment.

 

 

🔬 Project Lead

Anna Domaradzka‑Widła
Institute of Social Studies, University of Warsaw

👥 Research Team

Publication in academic press/journals:

  • Narratives of smart urbanism and their role in digitalization of urban services in Poland
    Authors: Mateusz Trochymiak, Anna Domaradzka, Monika Berdys, Celina Strzelecka
    Academic press: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (rok: 2024, tom: 1, strony: 45677), Publisher: IJURR Foundation
    Status: In the process of publication
    DOI: In the process of publication
  • The effect of the Pandemic on European Narratives on Smart Cities and Surveillance
    Authors: Mikołaj Biesaga, Anna Domaradzka, Magdalena Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, Szymon Talaga, Andrzej Nowak
    Academic press: Urban Studies (rok: 2023, tom: Online first, strony: 45312), Publisher: Sage
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980221138317 – link to the publication
  • What shapes our attitudes towards algorithms in urban governance? The role of perceived friendliness and controllability of the city, and human-algorithm cooperation
    Authors: Tomasz Oleksy, Anna Wnuk, Anna Domaradzka, Dominika Maison
    Academic press: Computers in Human Behavior (rok: 2023, tom: 142, strony: 45301), Publisher: Elsevier
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2023.107653 – link to the publication
  • Beyond Data: Recognizing the Democratic Potential of Citizen Science
    Authors: M. Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, A. Domaradzka, M. O’Grady, B. Bedessem, N. Tempini, M. Trochymiak, N. Wróblewska
    Academic press: IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (rok: 2023, tom: vol. 42, no. 4, strony: 47-56), Publisher: IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.1109/MTS.2023.3344904 – link to the publication
  • The Civil City Framework for the Implementation of Nature-Based Smart Innovations: Right to a Healthy City Perspective
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka, Mikołaj Biesaga, Ewa Domaradzka, Magdalena Kołodziejczyk
    Academic press: Sustainability (rok: 2022, tom: 14, strony: 45311), Publisher: MDPI
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.3390/su14169887 – link to the publication
  • Prosociality and endorsement of liberty: Communal and individual predictors of attitudes towards surveillance technologies
    Authors: Anna Wnuk, Tomasz Oleksy, Anna Domaradzka
    Academic press: Computers in Human Behavior (rok: 2021, tom: 125, strony: 45303), Publisher: Elsevier
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106938 – link to the publication
  • The acceptance of Covid-19 tracking technologies: The role of perceived threat, lack of control, and ideological beliefs.
    Authors: Anna Wnuk, Tomasz Oleksy, Dominika Maison
    Academic press: PLoS ONE (rok: 2020, tom: 15(9): e0238973, strony: 45307), Publisher: Public Library of Science
    Status: Published
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238973 – link to the publication

Articles in post-conference publications:

  • Place attachment and acceptance of smart city technologies
    Authors: Anna Wnuk, Tomasz Oleksy
    Konferencja: 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2021, ), Wydawca: University of Hawaii
    Data: konferencja 5-8 stycznia 2021
    Status: Published
  • Introduction to the Minitrack on Smart and Connected Cities and Communities
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka, Gabriela Viale Pereira, Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar
    Konferencja: 58th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2025, ), Wydawca: University of Hawaii
    Data: konferencja 6-10 stycznia 2025
    Status: Published
  • Challenges and Future Directions for Integrating Healthcare Wearable Sensors into Smart Cities and Communities
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka, Mikołaj Biesaga, Magdalena Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, Ewa Domaradzka
    Conference: 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2024, ), Publisher: Univeersity of Hwaii
    Data: 2-5.01.2024
    Status: Published
  • Right to Privacy in the Context of the Privacy Paradox and Data Collection Patterns: Exploratory Study of Polish Facebook Users
    Authors: Agnieszka Rychwalska, Magdalena Roszczynska-Kurasinska, Anna Domaradzka
    Conference: 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2022, ), Publisher: University of Hawaii
    Data: 4-7.01.2022
    Status: Published
  • Place attachment and acceptance of smart city technologies
    Authors: Anna Wnuk, Tomasz Oleksy
    Conference: 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2021, ), Publisher: University of Hawaii
    Data: 5-8.01.2021
    Status: Published
  • Smart and Connected Cities and Communities Minitrack (Introduction)
    Authors: Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar, Gabriela Viale Pereira, Elsa Estevez, Anna Domaradzka
    Conference: 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2023, ), Publisher: University of Hawaii
    Data: 3-6.01.2023
    Status: Published
  • Smart and Connected Cities and Communities Minitrack (Introduction)
    Authors: Gabriela Viale Pereira, Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar, Anna Domaradzka
    Conference: 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2024, ), Publisher: University of Hawaii
    Data: 2-5.01.2024
    Status: Published
  • The Impact of ICT on Citizens’ Well-being and the Right to the City. An Introduction.
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka, Magdalena Roszczyńska-Kurasińska
    Conference: 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (rok: 2021, ), Publisher: University of Hawaii
    Data: konferencja 5-8.01.2021
    Status: Published

Book publications / chapters in book publications:

  • Aktywizmy warszawskie a prawo do miasta / Warsaw activism and the right to the city
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka
    Book: Warszawa w badaniach społecznych (rok: 2024, tom: 1, strony: 237–255), Publisher: Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”.
    Status: Przyjęta do publikacji
  • From local to digital and back: e-resourcefulness among urban movements in Poland
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka
    Book: Resourceful Civil Society. Navigating the Changing Landscapes of Civil Society Organizations (rok: 2022, tom: 1, strony: 45316), Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
    Status: Published
  • Introduction to the Handbook on Urban Social Movements
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka, Pierre Hamel
    Book: Handbook on Urban Social Movements (rok: 2024, tom: 1, strony: 45303), Publisher: Edward Elgar
    Status: Published
  • Zakończenie
    Authors: Anna Domaradzka
    Book: Klucze do miasta. Ruch miejski jako nowy aktor w polu polityki miejskiej (rok: 2021, tom: 1, strony: 311-317), Publisher: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar
    Status: Published

 

 

Raport:

Presentation: Attitude towards new technologies in city management (in Polish)