The Dark Side of “SMART cities”, “15 Minute cities” and “C40 cities” | Lisa Miron
You may have heard of the “Smart City” before, or maybe the “15 minute city” or “C40 city”. But, do we really understand what they are and what they mean to our democracy? Host Sean Rasmussen speaks with Lisa Miron about how these related initiatives are quietly changing the nature of municipal politics not just in Canada but around the world. And, why that might not be a good thing.
Lisa Miron has a degree in environmental science, and a Masters in Law with a focus on conflict of interest. She’s a litigation lawyer, writer, activist and an outspoken critic of smart cities.
Lisa’s substack: https://lawyerlisa.substack.com/
Listen wherever you get your podcasts
Youtube: https://youtu.be/FEe_ywpf1EU
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ku0Lcm4SXNzREjuuhGz3t?si=26583778c9dc41f0
Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/episode/aa36c30a-a2c7-4efa-b073-e589f9b80f50
Further reading:
SMART City
What is a Smart City? If you are unfamiliar or unsure of what smart city means, it may surprise you to know that, if you live in an urban area in Canada, your city may have already put Smart City practices in place.
But when in search of a definition by supporting organizations, it is difficult to find a clear explanation, such as the definition offered by Smart City World: “smart city is the framework based on Information and Communication technologies that enable the development of sustainable practices to address the urbanisation challenges.
Leveraging the technology is one of the foremost pillars of ‘smart cities’ in order to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of resident’s life and the city’s services.” – https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/what-is-smart-city-and-why-do-we-need-them-7185.
These forms of explanations often leave us with more questions. My guest today, walks us through what is the smart city, its place on the global stage, how our cities have adopted it, and how we as citizens may need to be concerned about its impact.
C40 City
Lisa Miron refers to this document in our conversation:
THE FUTURE OF URBAN CONSUMPTION IN A 1.5°C WORLD
